[re.la.tion] n [ME relacioun, fr. MF relation, fr. L relation-, relatio, fr. referre (pp. relatus) to carry back] (14c) 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 ~ of time and space"; specif: 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
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 ~ to"
6: the attitude or stance which two or more persons or groups assume toward one another "race ~s"
7. a: the state of being mutually or reciprocally interested (as in social or commercial matters) b pl (1): dealings, affairs "foreign ~s" (2): intercourse (3): sexual intercourse