English
relegate
Relegate comes from Latin relēgātus ‘relegated’, from relēgō ‘to dispatch, banish’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēx‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgō‘send, dispatch’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelēgō‘to dispatch, banish’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelēgātus‘relegated’past participle of relēgō
- Englishearliest quotation 1946relegate
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēx‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgō‘send, dispatch’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelēgō‘to dispatch, banish’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CErelēgātus‘relegated’past participle of relēgō
- Englishearliest quotation 1946relegate
Earliest quotation: 1946, and December, A Veteran French Tank Engine: “Our correspondent adds that, when he visited Rouen in…”
first attested First attested in 1561, borrowed from Latin relēgātus, the past participle of relēgō (“to dispatch, banish”) (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in 1561, borrowed from Latin relēgātus, the past participle of relēgō (‘to dispatch, banish’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, lie, lawyer, fellow, layer, log, litter, ledger, lair, ledge, lawless, lees, lig, underlay, leaguer, lias, lagan, 18 more
through Proto-Indo-European *lḗgʰs
disloyalty, illegality, 6 more
through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’
through Latin lēx ‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
lay, legal, loyal, lex, leal, 10 more
through Latin lēgō ‘send, dispatch’
college, collection, election, lesson, collective, select, legend, elite, eligible, colleague, lecture, legacy, collector, coil, elect, negligence, legion, diligent, elegant, delegation, negligent, negligible, cull, collegiate, delegate, legible, lectern, collegium, ineligibility, lector, legation, 25 more
Today it means
verb Exile or banish to a particular place.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *lēks / relegate