n.
Pronunciation: ri- ' l ā -sh ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English relacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin relation-, relatio, from referre (pp. relatus ) to carry back
Date: 14th century
1 : the act of telling or recounting : ACCOUNT
2 : an aspect or quality (as resemblance) that connects two or more things or parts as being or belonging or working together or as being of the same kind <the relation of time and space> specifically : a property (as one expressed by is equal to, is less than, or is the brother of ) that holds between an ordered pair of objects
3 : the referring by a legal fiction of an act to a prior date as the time of its taking effect ― usually used with back
4 a (1) : a person connected by consanguinity or affinity : RELATIVE (2) : a person legally entitled to a share of the property of an intestate b : relationship by consanguinity or affinity : KINSHIP
5 : REFERENCE , RESPECT <in relation to>
6 : the attitude or stance which two or more persons or groups assume toward one another <race relation s >
7 a : the state of being mutually or reciprocally interested (as in social or commercial matters) b plural (1) : DEALINGS , INTERCOURSE <foreign relation s > (2) : SEXUAL INTERCOURSE