| relief | 1. The act of relieving, or the state of being relieved; the removal, or partial removal, of any evil, or of anything oppressive or burdensome, by which some ease is obtained; succor; alleviation; comfort; ease; redress. "He seec the dire contagion spread so fast, That, where it seizes, all relief is vain." (Dryden) 2. Release from a post, or from the performance of duty, by the intervention of others, by discharge, or by relay; as, a relief of a sentry. "For this relief much thanks;;tis bitter cold." (Shak) 3. That which removes or lessenc evil, pain, discomfort, uneasiness, etc.; that which gives succor, aid, or comfort; also, the person who relieves from performance of duty by taking the place of another; a relay. 4. A fine or composition which the heir of a deceased tenant paid to the lord for the privilege of taking up the estate, which, on strict feudal principles, had lapsed or fallen to the lord on the death of the tenant. 5. The projection of a figure above the ground or plane on wwhich it is formed. Relief is of three kinds, namely, high relief (altorilievo), low relief, (basso-rilievo), and demirelief (mezzo-rilievo). See these terms in the Vocabulary. 6. The appearance of projection given by shading, shadow, etc, to any figure. 7. The height to which works are raised above the bottom of the ditch. 8. <physics> The elevations and surface undulations of a country. Relief valve, a valve arranged for relieving pressure of steam, gas, or liquid; an escape valve. Synonym: Alleviation, mitigation, aid, help, succor, assistance, remedy, redress, indemnification. Origin: OE. Relef, F. Relief, properly, a lifting up, a standing out. See Relieve, and cf. Basrelief, Rilievi. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| relief area | In dentistry, the portion of the denture-bearing area over which the denture base is altered to reduce functional pressure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| relief chamber | A recess in the impression surface of a denture to reduce or eliminate pressure from that specific area of the mouth. (05 Mar 2000) |
| relief work | Assistance, such as money, food, or shelter, given to the needy, aged, or victims of disaster. It is usually granted on a temporary basis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mucosal relief radiography | Radiographic technique showing fine detail of gastrointestinal mucosa after coating it with a barium suspension and distending the organ with air or gas released from an ingested powder. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aneurysmal cough | Cough due to impingement of an aortic aneurysm on the recurrent laryngeal nerve or other nearby structures. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brassy cough | Loud metallic barking cough caused by subglottic oedema. (05 Mar 2000) |
| reflex cough | A cough excited reflexly by irritation in some distant part, as the ear or the stomach. (05 Mar 2000) |
| weaver's cough | An obsolete term for cough, dyspnea, and sense of constriction of the chest, caused in persons working with mildewed yarns. (05 Mar 2000) |
| whooping cough | <paediatrics> A bacterial infection that has become quite rare due to effective and widespread vaccination programs (DPT vaccine). Only about 4, 500 cases are reported annually in the U.S. Can present as a mild or severe illness. Symptoms include runny nose, low-grade fever, conjunctivitis and a characteristic cough. Coughing spells end in a whoop caused by the forceful inspiration of air. (13 Nov 1997) |
| whooping-cough vaccine | See: diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid, and pertussis vaccine. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cough | <clinical sign> A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs typically in order to clear the lung airways of fluids, mucus, or material. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cough fracture | <orthopaedics> A fracture of a rib or cartilage, usually the fifth or seventh, from vigorous coughing. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cough reflex | <chest medicine, neurology, physiology> The reflex which mediates coughing in response to irritation of the larynx or tracheobronchial tree. Synonym: laryngeal reflex. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cough suppressant | <pharmacology> A medication which acts to suppress the cough reflex. Examples include codeine and dextromethorphan. (27 Sep 1997) |