relapse
[ verb ri-laps; noun ri-laps, ree-laps ]
/ verb rɪˈlæps; noun rɪˈlæps, ˈri læps /
verb (used without object), re·lapsed, re·laps·ing.
to fall or slip back into a former state, practice, etc.: to relapse into silence.
to fall back into illness after convalescence or apparent recovery.
to fall back into vice, wrongdoing, or error; backslide: to relapse into heresy.
noun
an act or instance of relapsing.
a return of a disease or illness after partial recovery from it.
RELATED WORDS
recurrence, regression, recidivism, degenerate, loss, return, reversion, lapse, setback, fall, repetition, retrogression, retrogress, worsen, revert, sicken, sink, fade, regress, fail
Nearby words
Origin of relapse
1400–50; (v.) late Middle English < Latin relāpsus, past participle of relābī to slide back, revert (re- re- + lāb- v. stem + -sus for -tus past participle suffix); (noun) late Middle English < Medieval Latin relāpsus, equivalent to Latin relāb(ī) + -sus for -tus suffix of v. action
Related formsre·laps·a·ble, adjectivere·laps·er, nounun·re·laps·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for relapse
British Dictionary definitions for relapse
relapse
verb (rɪˈlæps) (intr)
to lapse back into a former state or condition, esp one involving bad habits
to become ill again after apparent recovery
noun (rɪˈlæps, ˈriːˌlæps)
the act or an instance of relapsing
the return of ill health after an apparent or partial recovery
Derived Formsrelapser, noun
Word Origin for relapse
C16: from Latin relabī to slip back, from re- + labī to slip, slide
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medicine definitions for relapse
relapse
[ rĭ-lăps′ ]
v.
To regress after partial recovery from illness.
To slip back into bad ways; backslide.
To fall or slide back into a former state.
n.
A falling back into a former state, especially the return of symptoms following an apparent recovery.recurrence
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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