relapse
verbnounattested in dialogue
- //ɹɪˈlæps//
- //ˈɹiːˌlæps//
To fall back again; to slide or turn back into a former state or practice.
verb
- 1
To fall back again; to slide or turn back into a former state or practice.
He has improved recently but keeps relapsing into states of utter confusion.
to relapse into a stupor, into vice, or into barbarism
to relapse into slumber after being disturbed
Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.
- 2
To recur; to worsen, be aggravated (after a period of improvement).
- 3
informalTo return to a vice, especially self-harm or alcoholism, failing to maintain abstinence.
relapsed after 5 months of being clean
- 4
To slip or slide back physically; to turn back.
You slip your hold and change your side, Relapsing from a necessary guide.
Etymology
From Latin relapsus, past participle of relabi (“to slide back, fall back”), from re- (“back”) + labi (“to slip, slide, fall”).
noun
- 1
The act or situation of relapsing.
a drug relapse
Alas! from what high hope to what relapse / Unlooked for are we fallen!
- 2
An occasion when a person becomes ill again after a period of improvement
- 3
obsoleteOne who has relapsed, or fallen back into error; a backslider.
Forms
- plural
- relapses
- past tense
- relapsed
- past participle
- relapsed
- present participle
- relapsing
- third person singular
- relapses
relapse · To fall back again; to slide or turn back into a former state or practice.
relate · To tell in a descriptive way.related · Standing in relation or connection.relating · The act of relating, or forming or identifying relationships;…