Origin: 1480–90; < Latinrelātus, suppletive past participle of referre to carry back (see refer)
Related forms
re·lat·a·bil·i·ty, noun
re·lat·a·ble, adjective
re·lat·er, noun
mis·re·late, verb, mis·re·lat·ed, mis·re·lat·ing.
pre·re·late, verb (used with object), pre·re·lat·ed, pre·re·lat·ing.
un·re·lat·ing, adjective
Synonyms 1. narrate, delineate, detail, repeat. Relate, recite, recount, rehearse mean to tell, report, or describe in some detail an occurrence or circumstance. To relate is to give an account of happenings, events, circumstances, etc.: to relate one's adventures. To recite may mean to give details consecutively, but more often applies to the repetition from memory of something learned with verbal exactness: to recite a poem. To recount is usually to set forth consecutively the details of an occurrence, argument, experience, etc., to give an account in detail: to recount an unpleasant experience.Rehearse implies some formality and exactness in telling, sometimes with repeated performance as for practice before final delivery: to rehearse one's side of a story.2. ally.
1530, "to recount, tell," from L. relatus, used as pp. of referre (see refer), from re- "back, again" + latus (see oblate (n.)). 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 in the sense of "connected by blood or marriage" is from 1702.