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Added 9 October 2026

relapse

/ɹɪˈlæps/ verb

Latin root: relapsus Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about relapse at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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 recur; to worsen, be aggravated (after a period of improvement).
To return to a vice, especially self-harm or alcoholism, failing to maintain abstinence.
relapsed after 5 months of being clean

noun

The act or situation of relapsing.
a drug relapse
An occasion when a person becomes ill again after a period of improvement
One who has relapsed, or fallen back into error; a backslider.

Origin

From Latin relapsus, past participle of relabi (“to slide back, fall back”), from re- (“back”) + labi (“to slip, slide, fall”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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