re·lief / riˈlēf/ • n. 1. a feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release from anxiety or distress: much to her relief, she saw the door open. ∎  a cause of or occasion for such a feeling: it was a relief to find somewhere to stay. ∎  the alleviation of pain, discomfort, or distress: tablets for the relief of pain. ∎  a temporary break in a generally tense or tedious situation: the comic characters aren't part of the plot but just light relief.2. assistance, esp. in the form of food, clothing, or money, given to those in special need or difficulty: raising money for famine relief | [as adj.] relief workers. ∎  a remission of tax normally due: people who donate money to charity will receive tax relief. ∎  chiefly Law the redress of a hardship or grievance. ∎  the action of raising the siege of a beseiged town: the relief of Mafeking.3. a person or group of people replacing others who have been on duty: [as adj.] the relief nurse was late. ∎  Baseball the role of a relief pitcher.4. the state of being clearly visible or obvious due to being accentuated in some way: the setting sun threw the snow-covered peaks into relief. ∎  a method of molding, carving, or stamping in which the design stands out from the surface, to a greater (high relief) or lesser (bas-relief) extent. ∎  a piece of sculpture in relief. ∎  a representation of relief given by an arrangement of line or color or shading. ∎  Geog. difference in height from the surrounding terrain; the amount of variation in elevation and slope in a particular area.PHRASES: in relief1. Art carved, molded, or stamped so as to stand out from the surface.2. Baseball acting as a replacement pitcher.on relief receiving government assistance because of need.ORIGIN: late Middle English: from Old French, from relever ‘raise up, relieve,’ from Latin relevare ‘raise again, alleviate.’

Relief

Relief is the difference in altitude between the highest and lowest point of a defined area (Relief = highest point – lowest point).

Although to humans the earth is composed of towering mountains and deep ocean trenches , Earth's relief, when compared to its overall size, is very small. From a not too distant point in space , the earth appears essentially smooth.

For example, using sea level as a base, in 1999 Mt. Everest—the highest point on Earth—measured slightly over 29,000 ft (8,850 m) above sea level. The Marinas Trench, at an estimated depth of 37,000 ft (11,300 m) below sea level (approximately 7 mi, or 11.2 km), is the lowest point on Earth. Using these approximate figures, the relief of Earth is then calculated to be an estimated 66,000 ft (20,117 m). [66,000= 29,000 ft − −37,000 ft (minus 37,000 ft because the reference point of 0 is assigned to sea level)]

The "smooth" character of the earth is fairly argued when comparing the scant 12.5-mi (20.1-km) relief of Earth's surface with Earth's approximate 7,900-mile (12,714-km) diameter. The relief measures less than two-tenths of one percent of the overall size of the earth.

Topographic maps depict elevation and contours (lines of equal elevation) show the progression of surface altitude changes. Relief is a critical component when defining certain area geographic features. For example, a plateau is a broad area with steep sided uplifts but with low relief on the surface. Correspondingly, a basin is often described as a low-lying area with low relief.

Although relief generally changes with geologic slowness (e.g., the uplift of Mt. Everest), relief in some desert areas—highly exposed to wind forces—often shows dramatic and rapid changes.

See also Cartography; GIS; Landforms; Landscape evolution; Topography and topographic maps

relief In thin-section microscopy, variations due to the difference in refractive index between a mineral and its mounting medium. If the differences are small the mineral appears flat and featureless, with faint outlines. If the differences are large the mineral appears to stand out, with strongly marked outlines and conspicuous cleavages or fractures. The nature of the relief is determined by the Becke-line test.

relief. Projection of a design, or parts of it, from a plane surface in order to give a natural and solid appearance, called rilievo. The three main types in architecture are alto-rilievo (ornament in high relief, almost detached from its ground); mezzo-rilievo (ornament standing out roughly half its three-dimensional form from the ground); and basso-rilievo (ornament with a projection less than half its three-dimensional form).

RELIEF

Financial assistance provided to the indigent by the government. The redress, or benefit, given by a court to an individual who brings a legal action.

The relief sought in a lawsuit might, for example, be the return of property wrongfully taken by another, compensation for an injury in the form of damages, or enforcement of a contract.