relève

Relève is a French noun that denotes the act of replacing someone or something, and the person or group designated to replace someone else. It derives from the verb relever, meaning to raise up or to take over. In the workplace and other continuous operations, relève refers to the practice of substitute staffing: a relève shift, the équipe de relève, or a handover of duties to ensure continuity. In industrial, service, or military contexts, the incoming crew or individual takes over tasks from the outgoing one.

In sports and performing arts, relève denotes a substitute player or relief performer: un joueur de relève, a reliever in baseball, or a replacement actor in a troupe. The expression faire la relève means to introduce such a replacement or to take the field.

Metaphorically, prendre la relève means to assume responsibility or to succeed someone, as in a leader handing over to the next generation, "la relève prend la direction du projet." The term also extends to the idea of a new generation or a successor generation: "la relève" as the people who will replace the current generation.

Translations into English depend on context: replacement, relief, successor, or handover.