Relax
/rɪˈlæks/noun
To make or become less tense, rigid, or severe.
Did you know?Relax comes from Latin relaxare, literally “to loosen again,” and its older relatives also gave English words tied to loosening, slackening, and letting tension fall away.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sleig-
“to be slippery, slimy; to make loose or pliant”
Latin
Latin
laxus
“loose, slack, wide”
Latin
Latin
relaxare
“to loosen, open, widen; to relieve, abate”
Old French
Old French
relaxer
“to release, set free, loosen”
Middle English
English
relaxen
“to loosen, abate, diminish in force”
Modern English
English
relax
“to make or become less tense, rigid, or severe”