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Relevant

 - 4 dictionary results

rel⋅e⋅vant

  [rel-uh-vuhnt]
Use Relevant in a Sentence
–adjective
bearing upon or connected with the matter in hand; pertinent: a relevant remark.
Origin:
1550–60; < ML relevant- (s. of relevāns), special use of L, prp. of relevāre to raise, lift up. See relieve, -ant

Related forms:
rel⋅e⋅vance, rel⋅e⋅van⋅cy, noun
rel⋅e⋅vant⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
applicable, germane, apposite, appropriate, suitable, fitting. See apt.

Pronunciation note:
See irrelevant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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rel·e·vant   (rěl'ə-vənt)   
adj.  Having a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand.

[Medieval Latin relevāns, relevant-, from Latin, present participle of relevāre, to relieve, raise up; see relieve.]
rel'e·vant·ly adv.
Synonyms: These adjectives describe what relates to and has a direct bearing on the matter at hand. Something relevant is connected with a subject or issue: performed experiments relevant to her research.
Pertinent suggests a logical, precise relevance: assigned pertinent articles for the class to read.
Germane implies close kinship and appropriateness: "He asks questions that are germane and central to the issue" (Marlin Fitzwater).
Something material is not only relevant but also crucial to a matter: reiterated the material facts of the lawsuit.
Apposite implies a striking appropriateness and pertinence: used apposite verbal images in the paper.
Something apropos is both to the point and opportune: an apropos comment that concisely answered my question.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

relevant 
"pertinent to the matter at hand," 1560, from M.L. relevantem (1481), prp. of L. relevare "to lessen, lighten" (see relieve). Originally a Scottish legal term meaning "take up, take possession of property;" not generally used until after 1800. Relevance is from 1733 (relevancy in the same sense is recorded from 1561).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: rel·e·vant
Pronunciation: 're-l&-v&nt
Function: adjective
1 : tending logically to prove or disprove a fact of consequence or to make the fact more or less probable and thereby aiding the trier of fact in making a decision relevant>; also : having a bearing on or reasonably calculated to lead to a matter that bears on any issue in a case for purposes of pretrial discovery —see also relevant evidence at EVIDENCE
2 : having significant and demonstrable bearing on facts or issues relevant case>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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