Wordwyrt

relay

/ˈɹiˌleɪ/REE-lay
/ˈɹiˌleɪ/REE-lay

Meaningfresh dogs or horses held in reserve

Common meaning: pass something along a chain

Journey through time

  1. Frenchrelais‘fresh dogs or horses held in reserve’source
  2. Middle Englishrelaye‘fresh group held in reserve’source
  3. Englishmeaning shiftsfresh group held in reserve → pass something along a chainrelay‘pass something along a chain’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on French relais ‘fresh dogs or horses held in reserve’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry RELAY, p. 499 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • relais French “fresh dogs or horses held in reserve”

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