Dictionary

relay en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɹiːleɪ/

Etymology

From Middle French relai (“reserve pack of hounds”), from relaier (“to exchange tired animals for fresh”); literally, "to leave behind", from Old French relaier (“to leave behind”), from re- + laier (“to leave”), of uncertain origin.

Meanings

1. (rare) A new set of hounds.
2. (historical) A new set of horses kept along a specific route so that they can replace animals that are tired.
3. (broadly) A new set of anything.
   • Bank-notes fluttered down and lay about in all directions, relays of sovereigns rolled away like so much dross, […] 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
   • There is a snaky gleam in her hard grey eye, as of anticipated rounds of buttered toast, relays of hot chops, worryings and quellings of young children, sharp snappings at poor Berry, and all the other delights of her Ogress's castle. 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “Retribution”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 594:
4. A series of vehicles travelling in sequence.
5. A competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action.
6. A competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action. ▸ A track and field discipline where runners take turns in carrying a baton from start to finish. The most common events are 4×100 meter and 4×400 meter competitions.
7. An electrical actuator that allows a relatively small electrical voltage or current to control a larger voltage or current.

Forms

Deriveds

relay cylinder · relay strike · nanorelay · mail relay · relay station · Swedish relay · relay room · reed relay · Indian relay · radio relay · misrelay · spam relay · phosphorelay · relay race · time-delay relay

Synonyms

relay race · relay race

Translations (70)

ca relleus (athletics discipline) · nn relé (electrical actuator) · gl remudas (competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action — see also relay race) · hu váltóúszás (competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action — see also relay race) · el σκυταλοδρομία (athletics discipline) · sh штафе́та (athletics discipline) · sk štafeta (athletics discipline) · hu váltóverseny (competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action — see also relay race) · ro releu (electrical actuator) · sl relé (electrical actuator) · fr relai (electrical actuator) · nn stafett (athletics discipline) · sh рѐле̄ј (electrical actuator) · et relee (electrical actuator) · mi tānga (a new set of anything that can be used to relieve the existing set when worn out) · fi viestijuoksu (athletics discipline) · hu váltófutás (athletics discipline) · sv stafett (athletics discipline) · fi rele (electrical actuator) · lt estafètė (athletics discipline) · es actuador (electrical actuator) · fa رله (electrical actuator) · ro ștafetă (athletics discipline) · sh rèlēj (electrical actuator) · id relai (electrical actuator) · nb stafett (athletics discipline) · eo relajso (electrical actuator) · is liði (electrical actuator) · is boðhlaup (athletics discipline) · es relevos (athletics discipline) · cs relé (electrical actuator) · it staffetta (athletics discipline) · hu relé (electrical actuator) · uk реле́ (electrical actuator) · es carrera de relevos (athletics discipline) · pl przekaźnik (electrical actuator) · bg реле (electrical actuator) · sl štaféta (athletics discipline) · vi rơ-le (electrical actuator) · de Staffellauf (athletics discipline) · hu staféta (competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action — see also relay race) · ru реле́ (electrical actuator) · sh štaféta (athletics discipline) · es relé (electrical actuator) · is rafliði (electrical actuator) · tl abutan (athletics discipline) · fi viesti (athletics discipline) · ar سِبَاق تَتَابُع (athletics discipline) · gl carreira de remudas (athletics discipline) · ru эстафе́та (athletics discipline) · cs štafeta (athletics discipline) · pl sztafeta (athletics discipline) · sv relä (electrical actuator) · it relè (electrical actuator) · pl sztafeta (competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action — see also relay race) · ko 릴레이 (athletics discipline) · bg щафета (athletics discipline) · bg смяна (a new set of anything that can be used to relieve the existing set when worn out) · cmn 繼電器 /继电器 (electrical actuator) · hu váltó (competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action — see also relay race) · el ηλεκτρονόμος (electrical actuator) · pt revezamento (athletics discipline) · gl remudas (athletics discipline) · nb relé (electrical actuator) · pt relé (electrical actuator) · ca relé (electrical actuator) · fr relais (electrical actuator) · gl relé (electrical actuator) · ja リレー (athletics discipline) · de Relais (electrical actuator)

relay en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɹiˈleɪ/
• /ˈɹiːleɪ/

Etymology

From Middle French relai (“reserve pack of hounds”), from relaier (“to exchange tired animals for fresh”); literally, "to leave behind", from Old French relaier (“to leave behind”), from re- + laier (“to leave”), of uncertain origin.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To pass on or transfer (information).
   • Can you relay this message to John?
   • The CCTV cameras relay what's going on to the headquarters.
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To release a new set of hounds.
3. (archaic, transitive) To place (people or horses) in relays, such that one can take over from another.
4. (archaic, intransitive) To take on a new relay of horses; to change horses.

Forms

Deriveds

nanorelay · misrelay · phosphorelay

Synonyms

convey (to relay a message)

Translations (25)

ru переда́ть (to pass on or transfer (information)) · fi välittää (to pass on or transfer (information)) · grc ἀγγέλλω (to pass on or transfer (information)) · fi kertoa eteenpäin (to pass on or transfer (information)) · es comunicar (to pass on or transfer (information)) · pl przekazywać (to pass on or transfer (information)) · it comunicare (to pass on or transfer (information)) · bg ретранслирам (to pass on or transfer (information)) · pl przekazać (to pass on or transfer (information)) · ru передава́ть (to pass on or transfer (information)) · el μεταβιβάζω (to pass on or transfer (information)) · de weitergeben (to pass on or transfer (information)) · ca rellevar (to pass on or transfer (information)) · el αναμεταδίδω (to pass on or transfer (information)) · id merelai (to place (people or horses) in relays) · fr relayer (to place (people or horses) in relays) · el αντικαθιστώ (to place (people or horses) in relays) · ro transmite (to pass on or transfer (information)) · gl transmitir (to pass on or transfer (information)) · ru трансли́ровать (to pass on or transfer (information)) · fr transmettre (to pass on or transfer (information)) · bg сменям (to place (people or horses) in relays) · cs předat (to pass on or transfer (information)) · id relai (to place (people or horses) in relays) · nl doorgeven (to pass on or transfer (information))

relay en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˌɹiːˈleɪ/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌɹiˈleɪ/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- Old English læġ English lay English relay From re- + lay.

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative spelling of re-lay.
   alt of re-lay
   • Over this section the 16th class are allowed to haul 800 tons, compared with 600 tons only by the 13th and 14th, and 450 tons by the 12th class engines, and in this way, without any expenditure on civil engineering works or relaying with heavier rails, the introduction of the 16th class has almost doubled the line capacity. 1940 December, O. S. M. Raw, “The Rhodesia Railways—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 640:
   • A reader writes that some Ballachulish branch services are still worked by Class 2 2-6-0s Nos. 46460 and 78052, which have had to be retained at Oban until a tight curve on the outside line of the railway pier, used by coal and oil traffic for the island steamers, has been relaid to standards suitable for the diesels. 1962 December, “Motive Power Miscellany: Scottish Region”, in Modern Railways, page 427:

Forms