Etymograph

English

release

Release comes from Middle English relesen, from Old French relaisser, a variant of relascher.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400relaisser1
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500relesen1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1997release1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English release
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1997, MKara50188, Repost! Abduction (J/K, mild bondage, M/F sex): “His hot release pouring into her, filling her and…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400relaisserWiktionary, English release
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500relesenWiktionary, English release
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1997releaseWiktionary, English release. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1997, MKara50188, Repost! Abduction (J/K, mild bondage, M/F sex): “His hot release pouring into her, filling her and…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg- ‘to tire out, slacken’

languish, languid, slake

through Latin laxus ‘wide, spacious, roomy’

relax, lax, leash, laxity, 4 more

through Latin laxō ‘to open, make wide’

relaxation, relish, 5 more

Today it means

noun The event of setting (someone or something) free (e.g. hostages, slaves, prisoners, caged animals, hooked or stuck mechanisms).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “release”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old French relaisser / release

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