relieve

/ri-ˈlēv/

Middle English releven, from Anglo-French relever to raise, relieve, from Latin relevare, from re- + levare to raise

verb

  1. to free from a burden : give aid or help to

  2. to set free from an obligation, condition, or restriction

  3. to ease of a burden, wrong, or oppression by judicial or legislative interposition

relieve alleviate lighten assuage mitigate allay mean to make something less grievous. relieve implies a lifting of enough of a burden to make it tolerable. alleviate implies temporary or partial lessening of pain or distress.

phrasal verb

  1. to take (something that is difficult or unpleasant) from (someone)

  2. to steal (something) from (someone)

  3. to remove (someone who has done something wrong) from (a post, duty, job, etc.)

She signed a contract that relieved him of all responsibility regarding the business.

idiom

  1. to pass waste from the body : urinate