Relaxers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Items or methods designed to ease tension, promote serenity, and foster a sense of wellbeing
2. Techniques or substances utilized to alleviate stress, induce relaxation, and enhance personal comfort levels
3. Products or tools used to lessen mental or physical strain and encourage calmness

Etymology: "Relaxers" is the plural of "relaxer", a word built from the verb "relax" and the agentive suffix "-er", which turns a verb into a noun for a person or thing that performs the action. The verb itself came into English in the Middle English period from Old French "relaxer", which in turn came from Latin "relaxare", meaning to loosen, slacken or stretch out again. Latin built that from "re-", meaning back or again, and "laxare", to loosen, from "laxus", meaning loose or slack. The original sense is therefore physical: something that has been pulled tight is let go, so the cord or muscle loosens. The meaning moved from loosening objects to loosening people, first in the sense of relieving a strained body or mind, and only later to the calming, leisure-oriented sense the plural now carries. A relaxer is thus anything that does this loosening job, whether a product, a habit or a practice.

Synonyms: tranquilizers, sedatives

Antonyms: stimulants