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relapse

Syllabification: (re·lapse)

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Definition of relapse

verb

Pronunciation: /riˈlaps, ˈrēˌlaps/

[no object]

(of someone suffering from a disease) suffer deterioration after a period of improvement.
(relapse into) return to (a less active or a worse state):he relapsed into silence

noun

Pronunciation: /ˈrēˌlaps/

a deterioration in someone’s state of health after a temporary improvement:he suffered a relapse of schizophrenia after a car crash

Derivatives

relapser

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin relaps- 'slipped back', from the verb relabi, from re- 'back' + labi 'to slip'. Early senses referred to a return to heresy or wrongdoing