释义 |
▪ I. reˈlieving, vbl. n. [f. as prec. + -ing1.] The action of the vb. relieve, in various senses. a. trans.c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 279 Þat þe wast tresour..be wisly spendid in defence of þe rewme, & releuynge of þe pore comouns. 1482Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 91 Sche seyde also that sche hathe resceuyd mekyl releuyng and helpe of her peynys. 1551Gardiner Presence in Sacrament 14 The auctor vttereth a great meny wordes..declaryng spirituall hungre and thurst, and the releuyng of the same. 1633P. Fletcher Elisa ii. x, To losses old new losse is no relieving. 1724De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 209 This relieving of Gloucester raised the spirits..of the parliament forces. 1822Regul. & Ord. Army 31 When General Officers..pass Guards while in the act of relieving, both Guards are to salute. b. intr.c1530Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. 424 He fel on his hors necke; and, in the relevynge, he strake at Hector. ▪ II. reˈlieving, ppl. a. [f. as prec. + -ing2.] 1. That relieves or gives relief.
1681J. Flavel Meth. Grace xv. 291 In him the relieving promises are made to believers. 1788Job Scott Jrnl. (1797) viii. 258 The meeting continued for some considerable time longer, in a very open and relieving manner. 1822–34Good's Study Med. (ed. 4) I. 166 Relieving sweats break forth, sometimes accompanied with an efflorescence. 1897Sir E. Wood Achievem. Cavalry i. 14 A relieving force coming out, the ‘Rally’ was sounded. 2. a. relieving officer, an officer appointed by a parish or union to administer relief to the poor.
1836Falmouth Pkt. 23 Sept. 5/2 Application for relief is made to the relieving officer. 1841Punch 23 Oct. 170/2 The family..told me they were literally dying of hunger, and that they had applied to the vestry, who had referred them to the..relieving officer. 1850C. Kingsley Alton Locke II. xiv. 210 In the midst of all the rout, the relieving officer stood impassive, jotting down scraps of information. 1851Mayhew Lond. Labour II. 249/2 The relieving officer..would have given him a pair of shoes and half-a-crown. 1876Act 39 & 40 Vict. c. 61 §19 A..warrant..may be issued upon the information of any relieving officer of the guardians stating that relief has been applied for. 1980G. M. Fraser Mr American ix. 167 She has an order for medical attendance from the relieving officer. fig.1865Dickens Mut. Fr. iii. viii, She heard the tender river whispering,..‘I am the Relieving Officer appointed by eternal ordinance to do my work’. b. slang. (See quot. 1881.)
1857G. Lawrence Guy Liv. iii, Every one, drawn on by the current, had a stone to throw at his relieving officer. 1881Blackmore Christowell xliv, The relieving officer—as the male parent was called in those days at our great universities. 3. techn. a. relieving tackle: (see quots.).
1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), Relieving-tackles, two strong tackles used to prevent a ship from overturning on the careen, and to assist in bringing her upright after that operation is completed... Relieving-tackle, is also a name sometimes given to the train-tackles of a gun-carriage. 1815Burney Falconer's Dict. Marine, Relieving tackles, are those which are occasionally hooked to the tiller..in bad weather, or in action, when..the wheel or tiller-rope is broken or shot away. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxv. 84 Once the wheel-rope parted, which might have been fatal to us, had not the chief mate sprung instantly with a relieving tackle to windward, and kept the tiller up till a new one could be rove. 1882Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 222 The relieving tackles are fitted as luff tackles. b. relieving arch: (see quots.).
1850Parker Gloss. Archit. (ed. 5) I. 166 Relieving Arch, or Arch of Construction; an arch formed in the substance of a wall to relieve the part which is below it from the superincumbent weight. 1875Knight Dict. Mech. 1916/1 Relieving-arch, an arch at the back of a revetment or retaining wall, to relieve the pressure of the bank upon the wall, and act as a tie or interior buttress. 1883Conder & Kitchener Survey W. Palestine III. 133 The door of the crypt has a lintel, with a relieving arch above. Hence reˈlievingly adv.
1793Job Scott Jrnl. (1797) xi. 309 He that speaks..must feel a door of entrance in the people's minds, or it is very difficult to get safely and relievingly forward. 1858Chamb. Jrnl. IX. 354 Sybil soon relievingly interposed that it was time to dress. |