Re·lief n.
 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 sees 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 lessens 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. Feudal Law 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. Sculp. & Arch. The projection of a figure above the ground or plane on which it is formed.
 Note: ☞ Relief is of three kinds, namely, high relief (altorilievo), low relief, (basso-rilievo), and demirelief (mezzo-rilievo). See these terms in the Vocabulary.
 6. Paint. The appearance of projection given by shading, shadow, etc., to any figure.
 7. Fort. The height to which works are raised above the bottom of the ditch.
 8. Physical Geog. The elevations and surface undulations of a country.
 Relief valve, a valve arranged for relieving pressure of steam, gas, or liquid; an escape valve.
 Syn: -- Alleviation; mitigation; aid; help; succor; assistance; remedy; redress; indemnification.
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 High a. [Compar. Higher superl. Highest.]
 1. Elevated above any starting point of measurement, as a line, or surface; having altitude; lifted up; raised or extended in the direction of the zenith; lofty; tall; as, a high mountain, tower, tree; the sun is high.
 2. Regarded as raised up or elevated; distinguished; remarkable; conspicuous; superior; -- used indefinitely or relatively, and often in figurative senses, which are understood from the connection; as --
 (a) Elevated in character or quality, whether moral or intellectual; preëminent; honorable; as, high aims, or motives. “The highest faculty of the soul.”
 (b) Exalted in social standing or general estimation, or in rank, reputation, office, and the like; dignified; as, she was welcomed in the highest circles.
    He was a wight of high renown.   --Shak.
 (c) Of noble birth; illustrious; as, of high family.
 (d) Of great strength, force, importance, and the like; strong; mighty; powerful; violent; sometimes, triumphant; victorious; majestic, etc.; as, a high wind; high passions. “With rather a high manner.”
    Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.   --Ps. lxxxix. 13.
    Can heavenly minds such high resentment show?   --Dryden.
 (e) Very abstract; difficult to comprehend or surmount; grand; noble.
    Both meet to hear and answer such high things.   --Shak.
    Plain living and high thinking are no more.   --Wordsworth.
 (f) Costly; dear in price; extravagant; as, to hold goods at a high price.
    If they must be good at so high a rate, they know they may be safe at a cheaper.   --South.
 (g) Arrogant; lofty; boastful; proud; ostentatious; -- used in a bad sense.
    An high look and a proud heart . . . is sin.   --Prov. xxi. 4.
    His forces, after all the high discourses, amounted really but to eighteen hundred foot.   --Clarendon.
 3. Possessing a characteristic quality in a supreme or superior degree; as, high (i. e., intense) heat; high (i. e., full or quite) noon; high (i. e., rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i. e., complete) pleasure; high (i. e., deep or vivid) color; high (i. e., extensive, thorough) scholarship, etc.
    High time it is this war now ended were.   --Spenser.
    High sauces and spices are fetched from the Indies.   --Baker.
 4. Cookery Strong-scented; slightly tainted; as, epicures do not cook game before it is high.
 5. Mus. Acute or sharp; -- opposed to grave or low; as, a high note.
 6. Phon. Made with a high position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate, as ē (ēve), ōō (fōōd). See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 10, 11.
 High admiral, the chief admiral.
 High altar, the principal altar in a church.
 High and dry, out of water; out of reach of the current or tide; -- said of a vessel, aground or beached.
 High and mighty arrogant; overbearing. [Colloq.]
 High art, art which deals with lofty and dignified subjects and is characterized by an elevated style avoiding all meretricious display.
 High bailiff, the chief bailiff.
 High Church, ∧ Low Church, two ecclesiastical parties in the Church of England and the Protestant Episcopal Church. The high-churchmen emphasize the doctrine of the apostolic succession, and hold, in general, to a sacramental presence in the Eucharist, to baptismal regeneration, and to the sole validity of Episcopal ordination. They attach much importance to ceremonies and symbols in worship. Low-churchmen lay less stress on these points, and, in many instances, reject altogether the peculiar tenets of the high-church school. See Broad Church.
 High constable Law, a chief of constabulary. See Constable, n., 2.
 High commission court, a court of ecclesiastical jurisdiction in England erected and united to the regal power by Queen Elizabeth in 1559. On account of the abuse of its powers it was abolished in 1641.
 High day Script., a holy or feast day. --John xix. 31.
 High festival Eccl., a festival to be observed with full ceremonial.
 High German, or High Dutch. See under German.
 High jinks, an old Scottish pastime; hence, noisy revelry; wild sport. [Colloq.] “All the high jinks of the county, when the lad comes of age.”  --F. Harrison.
 High latitude Geog., one designated by the higher figures; consequently, a latitude remote from the equator.
 High life, life among the aristocracy or the rich.
 High liver, one who indulges in a rich diet.
 High living, a feeding upon rich, pampering food.
 High Mass. R. C. Ch. See under Mass.
 High milling, a process of making flour from grain by several successive grindings and intermediate sorting, instead of by a single grinding.
 High noon, the time when the sun is in the meridian.
 High place Script., an eminence or mound on which sacrifices were offered.
 High priest. See in the Vocabulary.
 High relief. Fine Arts See Alto-rilievo.
 High school. See under School. High seas Law, the open sea; the part of the ocean not in the territorial waters of any particular sovereignty, usually distant three miles or more from the coast line. --Wharton.
 High steam, steam having a high pressure.
 High steward, the chief steward.
 High tea, tea with meats and extra relishes.
 High tide, the greatest flow of the tide; high water.
 High time. (a) Quite time; full time for the occasion. (b) A time of great excitement or enjoyment; a carousal. [Slang]
 High treason, treason against the sovereign or the state, the highest civil offense. See Treason.
 Note: ☞ It is now sufficient to speak of high treason as treason simply, seeing that petty treason, as a distinct offense, has been abolished.
 -- High water, the utmost flow or greatest elevation of the tide; also, the time of such elevation.
 High-water mark. (a) That line of the seashore to which the waters ordinarily reach at high water. (b) A mark showing the highest level reached by water in a river or other body of fresh water, as in time of freshet.
 High-water shrub Bot., a composite shrub (Iva frutescens), growing in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast of the United States.
 High wine, distilled spirits containing a high percentage of alcohol; -- usually in the plural.
 To be on a high horse, to be on one's dignity; to bear one's self loftily. [Colloq.]
 With a high hand. (a) With power; in force; triumphantly. “The children of Israel went out with a high hand.” --Ex. xiv. 8. (b) In an overbearing manner, arbitrarily. “They governed the city with a high hand.” --Jowett (Thucyd. ).
 Syn: -- Tall; lofty; elevated; noble; exalted; supercilious; proud; violent; full; dear. See Tall.
 high relief
      n : a sculptural relief in which forms extend out from the
          background to at least half their depth [syn: alto
          relievo, alto rilievo] [ant: bas relief]