1389 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 46 Ilke broþer and sistir of þis gild shal ȝeuen, ones in þe yere, j d. to his sustenauns and releuyinge.

a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) iii. 3868 To heere..my supplicacioun, In releuyng of myn hertis greuaunce.

1482 Monk of Evesham 91 Sche seyde also that sche hathe resceuyd mekyl releuyng and helpe of her peynys.

a1533 Ld. Berners tr. Arthur of Brytayn (?1560) lxxxx. sig. A*v^v He fel on his hors necke, and in the releuynge he strake at Hector.

1551 S. Gardiner Explic. Catholique Fayth f. 14 The auctor vttereth a great meny wordes..declaryng spirituall hungre and thurst and the releuyng of the same.

1612 W. Strachey Lawes in P. Force Tracts (1844) III. 24 Hee shall..at the relieuing of the watch bee committed to prison.

1633 P. Fletcher Elisa 120 in Purple Island To losses old new losse is no relieving.

1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 221 This Relieving of Gloucester raised the Spirits..of the Parliament Forces.

a1766 F. Sheridan Hist. Nourjahad (1767) 171 As the relieving of the poor is in itself meritorious, I would not wish to be with-held from doing it so long as twenty days.

1804 Times 26 June 1 The relieving of the parishes from the fines to which they would be subjected.

1822 Regul. & Ord. Army 31 When General Officers..pass Guards while in the act of relieving, both Guards are to salute.

1915 N.Y. Times 21 May 10/6 Key Perryman..has done a great deal of relieving for Brown pitchers in the last few days.

1984 Merriam-Webster's Dict. Synonyms 124/2 A relieving of mental tension and agitation by means of medication.

1992 Noûs 26 475 In perceiving her act of kindness, we also perceive its effect—the relieving of the old man's distress.

1597 J. Norden Mirror of Honor 41 The protection of the relieuing lawes of our owne countrie.

1644 J. Bulwer Chirologia xlvii. 84 The recourse and offer of nature in this relieving expression of the Hand.

1681 J. Flavell Method of Grace xv. 291 In him..the relieving promises are made to Believers.

1745 C. Labelye Result View Great Level of Fens 33 As to artificial Scours by means of Reservoirs, or relieving Basons or Sluices.

1797 Jrnl. Life, Travels & Gospel Labours J. Scott viii. 258 The meeting continued for some considerable time longer, in a very open and relieving manner.

1822 J. M. Good Study Med. I. 188 Relieving sweats break forth, sometimes accompanied with an efflorescence.

1897 E. Wood Achievem. Cavalry i. 14 A relieving force coming out, the ‘Rally’ was sounded.

1921 Times 13 Apr. 7/7 A relieving signalman who arrived at a signal box near Woodbridge, Suffolk, on Monday found the box empty.

1991 R. Davies Murther & Walking Spirits ii. ix. 62 There was often a relieving breeze from the sea.

1845 J. H. Parker Gloss. Terms Archit. (ed. 4) I. 130 Relieving Arch; an arch formed in the substance of a wall, to relieve the part which is below it from the superincumbent weight.

1883 C. R. Conder & H. H. Kitchener Survey W. Palestine III. 133 The door of the crypt has a lintel, with a relieving arch above.

1931 Times 16 Jan. 8/3 The relieving arches over all these entrances are pointed.

1990 A. J. Youngson Urban Devel. & Royal Fine Art Comm. i. 22 Its severity is relieved by simple low relief decoration in terracotta, and two porticos with relieving arches.

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

1755 G. Washington Orders 18 Oct. in Papers (1983) Colonial Ser. II. 124 A Book..kept only for that purpose..is to be..delivered over to the Relieving Officer.

1836 Falmouth Pkt. 23 Sept. 5/2 Application for relief is made to the relieving officer.

1851 H. Mayhew London Labour II. 249/2 The relieving officer..would have given him a pair of shoes and half-a-crown.

1857 G. A. Lawrence Guy Livingstone iii Every one..had a stone to throw at his relieving officer; the complaint, of course, being a general tightness in the supplies.

1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. viii. 66 She heard the tender river whispering..‘I am the Relieving Officer appointed by eternal ordinance to do my work.’

1881 R. D. Blackmore Christowell (1882) xliv The relieving officer—as the male parent was called in those days at our great universities.

1967 Century-Daily Star (Toronto) 13 Feb. 11/1 I knew one man, poor fellow, set out to ask for help from the relieving officer one day in winter time. But he froze to death on the way.

2006 Times Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) (Nexis) 9 July [The captain] is required to hand over the ship only when he is satisfied the relieving officer is capable of carrying out his or her duties effectively.

1717 W. Sutherland Britain's Glory: Ship-building Unvail'd 107 It sometimes happens, That..she [sc. the ship] oversets, making almost an intire Revolution, without she has something to prevent it, as what is term'd a relieving Tackle.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine (at cited word) 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.

1815 W. Burney Falconer's New Universal Dict. Marine (rev. ed.) Relieving tackles, are also those which are occasionally hooked to the tiller in bad weather, or in action, when the wheel or tiller-rope is broken.

1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before 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.

1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 222 The relieving tackles are fitted as luff tackles.

1963 J. H. Parry Age of Reconnaissance 79 In big ships, relieving tackles were fitted to the tiller and secured to eyebolts on either side of the steerage.

2002 Providence (Rhode Island) Jrnl.-Bull. (Nexis) 16 Sept. b1 Pairs of students joined Becker at the helm to steer the ship by pulling at the tiller with a rope contraption called a relieving tackle.

1885 H. H. Hayter Victorian Year-bk. 1884–5 618 Relieving teachers are paid an amount equal to one-half the amount of the fixed salary in lieu of results.

1922 N.Z. Gaz. 13 Apr. A relieving teacher employed for two months or more during any calender year.

2007 Courier Mail (Queensland, Austral.) (Nexis) 13 Oct. 58 These [concerns] include the use of teacher aides and relieving teachers with little or no experience working with the age group.

a1708 W. Beveridge Thes. Theologicus (1710) I. 365 How should we call upon God? Reverently..Understandingly..Submissively..Relievingly [etc.].

1858 Chambers's Jrnl. 9 354 Sybil soon relievingly interposed that it was time to dress.

1914 H. James Let. 2 Sept. (1920) II. 402 I thank you at any rate for letting me know that you have, as you say, relievingly wept.

2003 M. Sturdy Truth & Beauty xvii. 370 New songs..strategically placed early on in the set..were relievingly lapped up by the throng.