adjective
- associated; connected.
- allied by nature, origin, kinship, marriage, etc.
- narrated.
- Music. (of tones) belonging to a melodic or harmonic series, so as to be susceptible of close connection.
verb (used with object), re·lat·ed, re·lat·ing.
- to tell; give an account of (an event, circumstance, etc.).
- to bring into or establish association, connection, or relation: to relate events to probable causes.
verb (used without object), re·lat·ed, re·lat·ing.
- to have reference (often followed by to).
- to have some relation (often followed by to).
- to establish a social or sympathetic relationship with a person or thing: two sisters unable to relate to each other.
adjective
- connected; associated
- connected by kinship or marriage
- (in diatonic music) denoting or relating to a key that has notes in common with another key or keys
verb
- (tr) to tell or narrate (a story, information, etc)
- (often foll by to) to establish association (between two or more things) or (of something) to have relation or reference (to something else)
- (intr often foll by to) to form a sympathetic or significant relationship (with other people, things, etc)
“connected by blood or marriage,” 1702, past participle adjective from relate (v.). Related: Relatedness.
1520s, “to recount, tell,” from Middle French relater “refer, report” (14c.) and directly from Latin relatus, used as past participle of referre “bring back, bear back” (see refer), from re- “back, again” + latus (see oblate (n.)).
Meaning “stand in some relation; have reference or respect” is from 1640s; transitive sense of “bring (something) into relation with (something else)” is from 1690s. Meaning “to establish a relation between” is from 1771. Sense of “to feel connected or sympathetic to” is attested from 1950, originally in psychology jargon. Related: Related; relating.