Wordwyrt

relax

/ɹɪˈlæks/rih-LAKS
/ɹɪˈlæks/rih-LAKS

Meaningto loosen again

Common meaning: to loosen

Other meanings: to rest

‘again’ + ‘loose’ → relax

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√LAG‘be lax, to be slack or languid’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 317, p. 741 · scan
  2. Latinlaxus, -a, -um‘loose’
  3. Englishrelax‘to loosen’ · today

re- also in: reactrebelrepelreplyrecant

lax also in: laxative

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin laxus ‘loose’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry laxus, p. 1045 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

laxative

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