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relative

 - 4 dictionary results

rel⋅a⋅tive

  [rel-uh-tiv]
Use relative in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person who is connected with another or others by blood or marriage.
2. something having, or standing in, some relation to something else.
3. something dependent upon external conditions for its specific nature, size, etc. (opposed to absolute ).
4. Grammar. a relative pronoun, adjective, or adverb.
–adjective
5. considered in relation to something else; comparative: the relative merits of democracy and monarchy.
6. existing or having its specific nature only by relation to something else; not absolute or independent: Happiness is relative.
7. having relation or connection.
8. having reference or regard; relevant; pertinent (usually fol. by to): to determine the facts relative to an accident.
9. correspondent; proportionate: Value is relative to demand.
10. (of a term, name, etc.) depending for significance upon something else: “Better” is a relative term.
11. Grammar.
a. noting or pertaining to a word that introduces a subordinate clause of which it is, or is a part of, the subject or predicate and that refers to an expressed or implied element of the principal clause (the antecedent), as the relative pronoun who in He's the man who saw you or the relative adverb where in This is the house where she was born.
b. noting or pertaining to a relative clause.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME relatif (n.) (< MF) < LL relātīvus (adj.); see relate, -ive

Usage note:
11. See who.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To relative
rel·a·tive   (rěl'ə-tĭv)   
adj.  

  1. Having pertinence or relevance; connected or related.

  2. Considered in comparison with something else: the relative quiet of the suburbs.

  3. Dependent on or interconnected with something else; not absolute. See Synonyms at dependent.

  4. Grammar Referring to or qualifying an antecedent, as the pronoun who in the man who was on TV or that in the dictionary that I use.

  5. Music Having the same key signature. Used of major and minor scales and keys: A minor is the relative minor of C major.

n.  

  1. One related by kinship, common origin, or marriage.

  2. Something having a relation or connection to something else.

  3. Grammar A relative pronoun.


[Middle English, from Old French relatif, from Late Latin relātīvus, from Latin relātus, past participle of referre, to relate; see relate.]
rel'a·tive·ness n.
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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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: rel·a·tive
Function: adjective
1 : not absolute
2 in the civil law of Louisiana : having or allowing some legal effect relative impediment> relative simulation> —see also relative nullity at NULLITY —rel·a·tive·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Computing Dictionary

RELATIVE
Early system on IBM 650. Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959).

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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