Rest

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɛst/

Definitions

1. To stop doing work or activity in order to relax ; to remain supported or placed on something ; to depend on or be based on someone or something
2. To take a break for relaxation or recovery ; to be positioned or supported by a surface or object ; to rely or have confidence in a person or thing
3. To pause or relax from effort or action ; to stay settled or kept in place ; to trust in or lean on as a source of support

Etymology: Before "rest" meant the pause in an activity, it was a word for the leftover part of something. Its main English sense comes from a Germanic root shared with Dutch "rust," German "Rast," and Swedish "rast," all meaning repose. Old English "ræst" meant a place to sleep or a resting-place, and the word has been used in English since the Middle English period. A second, unrelated "rest" entered English from French. Old French "rester" meant "to remain," from Latin "restō," "to stay back, stay behind," built from "re-" and "stō," "to stand." This sense of remainder pushed out the native Old English word "lave," which had meant the rest or remnant. It is the source of phrases like "the rest of the day" and of the musical term for a silence. Both senses survive in modern English, and the Germanic and French strands sit side by side in one spelling.

Synonyms: relax, repose, restoration, pause, break

Antonyms: work, exertion, activity, labor, effort