Where does “relax” come from?
Relax comes from Middle English relaxen, from Old French relaxer, from Latin relaxare, meaning to loosen, formed from the prefix re- and laxus meaning loose, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
relax (English): To calm down; To make something loose; To become...
Definitions
- To calm down; To make something loose; To become...
Ancestry of “relax”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | relaxen | loosen, make (something) less compact or dense |
| 2 | Old French | relaxer | Alternative form of relaschier |
| 3 | Latin | relaxo | I stretch out or widen again; unloose, loosen,... |
| 4 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 5 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 6 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |