rel ‧ e ‧ gate /ˈreləɡeɪt, ˈrelɪɡeɪt/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of relegare 'to send back to do a job' ]
1 . formal to give someone or something a less important position than before
relegate somebody/something to something
Women tended to be relegated to typing and filing jobs.
2 . British English if a sports team is relegated, it is moved into a lower ↑ division OPP promote
relegate something/somebody to something
We were relegated to the Fourth Division last year.
—relegation /ˌreləˈɡeɪʃ ə n, ˌrelɪˈɡeɪʃ ə n/ noun [uncountable]