relievedadj.

1416 in H. M. Flasdieck Mittelengl. Originalurkunden (1926) 54 (MED) To the whiche courte of Benecrouche many of vs vlti wynter to gedir haue ben tenantes and sevtours of Court, and ȝit be, and in the same Courte take owre charges..be twey partie, and partie releued.

1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 303 Relefyd, relaxatus.

1560 A. L. in tr. J. Calvin Serm. Songe Ezechias Ep. Ded. sig. A.3 When skilfull men..do applie their knowledge to the restoring of health..howe muche the releued patient [etc.].

1677 R. Boyle Treat. Art of War 51 The Relieved Officer..should..shew the Relieving Officer that the Ammunition..is not..diminished.

1767 Let. 24 Dec. in Polit. Reg (1768) Jan. 24 Five Irish regiments ought to be embarked..and bring the relieved regiments to Britain.

1796 N. Strong Doctr. Eternal Misery I. 173 Bodily ease..is a thousand times greater good to the relieved person, than it could have been without the intervention of pain.

1816 P. Hawker Instr. Young Sportsmen (ed. 2) 8 This has not the effect of throwing the shot quite so close as the relieved cylinder.

1853 W. D. Arnold Oakfield I. xi. 239 He fell asleep, and journeyed on.., waking only at the stages, when the relieved bearers opened the shutters.

1874 H. H. Gardener Unofficial Patriot 276 One of the relieved pickets.

1932 L. R. D'Orsay Stories you can Sell (1969) vii. 225 The relieved watch promptly went below.

1943 Bull. War Med. 4 190/1 Gradual decompression of the limb should be aimed at and elastic compression of the relieved limb carried out where possible.

2002 Columbus (Ohio) Disp. (Nexis) 6 Sept. 1 f Perfect for TV timeouts, this two-minute drill often results in..replenished beer and a relieved bladder.

1618 T. Adams Happines of Church 93 The relieued poore by their prayers..make way for thy entertainement into euerlasting habitations.

1653 Bp. J. Taylor Serm. for Year xxv. 328 The thanksgiving songs of relieved Widows, of supported Orphans.

1703 G. Stanhope Parsons Christian Directory (ed. 2) i. 179 None of us would bear a relieved Beggar flying in our Faces.

1759 ‘Junius’ Let. 25 Sept. in Law Nat. defended by Script. (1760) vii. 54 The relieved person beat his benefactor in order to deprive him of his remaining half.

1800 Crit. Rev. Jan. 46 His philanthropic exertions, and..the applause which the relieved community bestowed upon him.

1869 Spectator 26 Jan. If the relieved man earns his relief, he will spend it as well as he does his wages.

1999 K. A. Wulf Not all Wives v. 177 Even though..the sex ratio of the relieved poor..changed very little, authorities began to focus on male poverty.

1789 A. Gomersall Eleonora I. xii. 144 They expressed their own disappointment, but unanimously applauded my candid confession... I felt greatly relieved.

1799 tr. A. von Kotzebue Writing-desk ii. xiii. 65 Away, away from this house! with a lighter heart, and relieved conscience!

1853 Harper's Mag. July 279/1 ‘We don't make any special charge.’ ‘Well, I'm sure I'm much obliged to you,’ said the liberal groom..with a very relieved air.

1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. v. 83 Tom felt greatly relieved, as he was beginning to find himself in rather deep water.

1912 C. Mathewson Pitching in Pinch ii. 33 I have been told that Clarke was the most relieved man in seven counties when O'Toole came through with that victory in Boston.

1920 Chambers's Jrnl. Dec. 849/2 The Prince..was considerably relieved to find that he was not on the visitor's executionary list.

1949 ‘J. Tey’ Brat Farrar x. 81 They wouldn't bother to look for him. They would be too relieved to have him out of their hair.

1998 J. Moores Brookside (Mersey TV transmission script) Episode 2039. 46 (stage direct.) [They] exchange a relieved smile.

2008 Washington Post 15 Nov. c1 ‘I wasn't sure if he'd go through with it, but he did,’ a relieved association official whispers out in the hall.