English
relaxation
Relaxation comes from Latin relaxatio ‘relaxation (all senses)’, from relaxō ‘to stretch out or widen again’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)leg-‘to tire out, slacken’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)leg-s-ósreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElaxus‘loose, slack, free’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElaxō‘to extend’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelaxō‘to stretch out or widen again’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelaxatioas relaxatio‘relaxation (all senses)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1989relaxation
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)leg-‘to tire out, slacken’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)leg-s-ósreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElaxus‘loose, slack, free’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElaxō‘to extend’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelaxō‘to stretch out or widen again’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelaxatioas relaxatio‘relaxation (all senses)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1989relaxation
Earliest quotation: 1989, Michael De Mayo, A New Word In AIDS Prevention: Relapse: “It may seem as though the safer sex message…”
Formed from relax + -ation
Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg-s-ós ‘weak, faint’
…
Latin laxāre ‘loosen’
Latin relaxāre ‘relax, loosen, open’
Old French relaxer
Middle English relaxen ‘loosen, make (something) less compact or dense’
English relax
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg- ‘to tire out, slacken’
through Latin laxus ‘loose, slack, free’
through Latin laxō ‘to extend’
through Latin relaxō ‘to stretch out or widen again’
Today it means
noun The act of relaxing or the state of being relaxed; the opposite of stress or tension; the aim of recreation and leisure activities.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg- / relaxation