relaxation: Meaning and Definition of

re•lax•a•tion

Pronunciation: (rē"lak-sā'shun), [key]
— n.
  1. abatement or relief from bodily or mental work, effort, application, etc.
  2. an activity or recreation that provides such relief; diversion; entertainment.
  3. a loosening or slackening.
  4. diminution or remission of strictness or severity.
  5. a numerical procedure for solving systems of equations by successive approximations of the variables.
    1. the return of a system undergoing dissipation to an initial state of equilibrium after being displaced from it.
    2. the approach to steady-state operation of a system that has undergone dissipation and a change in state or has been subjected to an abrupt periodic disturbance.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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