Word: rest Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *rastō Proto-West Germanic *rastu Old English ræst Middle English reste English rest From Middle English rest, reste, from Old English ræst, from Proto-West Germanic *rastu, from Proto-Germanic *rastō, of uncertain origin; possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“to rest”) or *Hre(h₁)s- (“to flow, rush”). Cognate with West Frisian rêst (“rest”), Dutch rust (“rest”), German Rast (“rest”), Swedish rast (“rest”), Norwegian rest (“rest”), Icelandic röst (“rest”), Old Irish árus (“dwelling”), German Ruhe (“calm”), Albanian resht (“to stop, pause”), Welsh araf (“quiet, calm, gentle”), Lithuanian rovà (“calm”), Ancient Greek ἐρωή (erōḗ, “rest, respite”), Avestan 𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬨𐬈 (aⁱrime, “calm, peaceful”), Sanskrit रमते (rámate, “he stays still, calms down”), Gothic 𐍂𐌹𐌼𐌹𐍃 (rimis, “tranquility”). Related to roo. Pronunciation: /ɹɛst/, /ɹest/, /ɾɛst/, /ɻɛst/ 1. Relief from work or activity by sleeping; sleep. Labels: uncountable Example: I need to get a good rest tonight; I was up late last night. Example: The sun sets, and the workers go to their rest. 2. Any relief from exertion; a state of quiet and relaxation. Labels: countable Example: We took a rest at the top of the hill to get our breath back. 3. Peace; freedom from worry, anxiety, annoyances; tranquility. Labels: uncountable Example: It was nice to have a rest from the phone ringing when I unplugged it for a while. Example: And the land had rest fourscore years. 4. A state of inactivity; a state of little or no motion; a state of completion. Labels: uncountable Example: The boulder came to rest just behind the house after rolling down the mountain. Example: The ocean was finally at rest. 5. A final position after death. Also, death itself: "Not alone, not alone would I go to my rest in the heart of the love..." -- George William Russell ("Love") Labels: euphemistic, uncountable Example: She was laid to rest in the village cemetery. 6. A pause of a specified length in a piece of music. Labels: countable Example: Remember there's a rest at the end of the fourth bar. 7. A written symbol indicating such a pause in a musical score such as in sheet music. Labels: countable 8. Absence of motion. Labels: uncountable Example: The body's centre of gravity may affect its state of rest. 9. A stick with a U-, V- or X-shaped head used to support the tip of a cue when the cue ball is otherwise out of reach. Labels: countable Example: Higgins can't quite reach the white with his cue, so he'll be using the rest. 10. Any object designed to be used to support something else. Labels: countable Example: She put the phone receiver back in its rest. Example: He placed his hands on the arm rests of the chair. 11. A projection from the right side of the cuirass of armour, serving to support the lance. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: their visors closed, their lances in the rest 12. A place where one may rest, either temporarily, as in an inn, or permanently, as, in an abode. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: c. 1851, Catholicus (pen name of John Henry Newman, letter in The Times halfway houses and travellers' rests Example: in dust our final rest, and native home 13. A short pause in reading poetry; a caesura. Labels: countable, uncountable 14. The striking of a balance at regular intervals in a running account. Often, specifically, the intervals after which compound interest is added to capital. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: a new account was opened under the heading "Irondale Mine" and so continued witli semiannual rest 15. A set or game at tennis. Labels: countable, dated, uncountable