Where does “relief” come from?
Relief comes from Italian rilevare, from Latin relevare meaning to raise or lighten, composed of the prefix re- and levis meaning light in weight, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
relief (English): The removal of stress or discomfort; The feeling...
Definitions
- The removal of stress or discomfort; The feeling...
Ancestry of “relief”, step by step
relief traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian rilievo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | rilievo | prominence or emphasis; relief |
| 2 | Italian | rilevare | to point out, emphasize; to notice, detect, plot;... |
| 3 | Latin | relevō | to raise, lift up |
| 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 |