English
relate
Relate comes from Latin relātus, from referō ‘carry back’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘bear, carry’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreferō‘carry back’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelātusperfect passive participle of referō
- Englishearliest quotation 1590relate
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-‘to bear, carry’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéreti‘to be carrying’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ferō‘to carry, bear’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEferō‘bear, carry’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreferō‘carry back’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelātusperfect passive participle of referō
- Englishearliest quotation 1590relate
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book III, Canto IX: “Abate your zealous haste, till morrow next again /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear, carry’
bar, birth, broad, prefer, fortune, bread, burden, bearing, barn, fury, baron, bark, barrel, bore, breeze, berth, broom, barrow, embargo, fret, insufferable, ferret, furtive, bier, bahar, proffer, birr, bairn, burnish, barrette, 115 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti ‘to be carrying’
bear, borne, phosphorus, euphoria, phosphate, dysphoria, semaphore, phosphine, indifferently, 93 more
through Proto-Italic *ferō ‘to carry, bear’
suffering, differently, indifferent, differentiation, infertility, infertile, deference, differentially, deferential, differentiable, differentiator, 70 more
through Latin ferō ‘bear, carry’
different, offer, difference, transfer, suffer, extraordinary, translation, differ, frustration, fertility, fertile, strangely, extravagant, translate, defer, confer, infer, fertilization, infra, extraneous, strangeness, frustrate, fertilize, ablation, collation, estrange, elation, elated, efferent, ablative, collate, dilate, oblate, 81 more
through Latin referō ‘carry back’
Today it means
verb To tell in a descriptive way.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / relate