ok this is silly but, someone at my work today used the “word” unlax, and while I know that unlax is a made up word or sorts it did get me thinking about what a strange word relax is. I suspect that lax iself isnt a word, but who knows (that’s why I am asking the question 
). I don’t have acces to an OED right now, and being slightly OCD this is really gonna bug me all day. Any help?
Nick
oh yeah, and the question is where does relax come from? forgot to put that in my actual post :smack:. S’what I get for trying to post quickly from work.
Nick
relax
c.1420, “to make (something) less compact or dense,” from O.Fr. relaxer (14c.), from L. relaxare “relax, loosen, open,” from re- “back” + laxare “loosen,” from laxus “loose” (see lax). Of persons, attested from 1837, “to become less formal;” meaning “to become less tense” is recorded from 1935. Relaxation “relief from work” first recorded 1548.
Lax is a word, meaning loose or slack.
In the old “Amos ‘n’ Andy” series, Kingfish used the term “unlax” a lot as opposed to “relax.” My father used it, too, and I know that’s where he got it. However, those shows haven’t been on TV in decades, so unless he’s a collector, either he’s heard someone else use it, or he came up with it on his own.
But the Kingfish was using it over half a century ago.