Relationship

R  E  F  E  R  E  N  C  E  S 

Related adj [ca. 1663] 1: connected by reason of an established or discoverable relation 2: connected by common ancestry or sometimes by marriage 3: having close harmonic connection -used of tones, chords, or tonalities

Relative adj [15c] 1: introducing a subordinate clause qualifying an expressed or implied antecedent [__ pronoun]; also: introduced by such a connective [__ clause] 2: Relevant, Pertinent [matters __ to world peace] 3: not absolute or independent: Comparative [the __ isolation of life in the country] 4: having the same keye signature __use of major and minor keys and scales 5: expressed as the ratio of the specififed quantity [as an error in measuring] to the total magnitude [as the value of a measured quantity] or to the mean of all the quantities involved

Relation 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 consanguanity or affinity: Relative [2]: a person legally entitled to a share of the property of an intestate b: relationship by comsanquinity or affinity 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]

Relationship 3 a: a state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings [had a good __with his family]

[Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition. Springfield, MA, USA: Merriam-Webster, Inc. 1995.]

Random House Dictionary:
Relation n. 1. an existing connection ; a significant association between or among things. 2. relations, a. the various forms of interaction between persons, people, countries, etc. b. sexual intercourse. 3. the mode or kind of connection between one person and another, between man and God, etc. 4. relationship [def. 2.]. 5. a person who is related by blood or marriage; relative. 6. reference; regard: respect: to plan with relation to the future. 7. the act of relating or narrating. 8. a narrative; account. 9. Law. a principle whereby effect is given to an act done at one time as if it had been done at a previous time. 10. Math. a. a property that associates two quantities in a definite order, as equality or inequality. b. a many-valued function.

-Syn. 1. relationship; tie, link. 7. recitation, recital, description. 8. report, story, chronicle.

Relationship n. 1. a connection, associaton, or involvement. 2. connection between persns by blood or marriage. 3. an emotional or other connection between people.

-Syn. 1. dependence, alliance, kinship. 2. affinity, consanquinity. Relationship, Kinship refer to connection with others by blood or by marriage. Relationship can be applied to connection either by birth or by marriage: relationship to a ruling family. Kinship generally denotes common descent, and implies a more intimate connection than relationship; the ties and obligations of kinship.