Relaxing

How to spell relaxing

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce relaxing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does relaxing mean?

1. adjectiveTending to reduce tension or stress; calming and restful.
2. verbResting and easing physical or mental tension.

Relaxing in a sentence

• adjective

  A long soak in a hot bath is relaxing after a hard day.

• verb

  She spent the afternoon relaxing on the sofa with a book.

• adjective

  They chose a quiet beach for a relaxing weekend away.

• verb

  He was relaxing by the pool when the call came in.

Where does relaxing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb relaxare, which meant 'to loosen' or 'to open out again', built from the prefix re- 'back, again' and laxare 'to loosen', itself from the adjective laxus meaning 'loose' or 'slack'. The same laxus root sits behind familiar English words like 'lax' and 'laxative', all carrying the underlying idea of slackness. English took 'relax' through Old French and Latin in the late 1300s, at first in a fairly literal sense of loosening the body or the bowels, before it broadened to mean easing tension of any kind, including mental strain. The form 'relaxing' simply adds the -ing ending, used both as a present participle and as an adjective describing something that puts you at ease. Spelling it is mostly straightforward, though the single x doing the work of two sounds (k plus s) is the one place a writer might pause.

How the word is built

• re- (back, again)
• lax (loose, slack)
• -ing (present participle / adjective suffix)