Where does “relay” come from?
Relay comes from English lay, from Latin laicus meaning "of the people," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots ḱley- and wer-.
relay (English): A new set of hounds; A new set of horses kept...
Definitions
- A new set of hounds; A new set of horses kept...
Ancestry of “relay”, step by step
relay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English lay
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lay | To place down in a position of rest, or in a... |
| 2 | English | Lee | for someone who lived near a meadow (the Anglo-Saxon for meadow being ley or leag) |
| 3 | Irish | Laoi | lay, song |
| 4 | Middle Irish | láed | — |
| 5 | English | loid | A lock-picking tool made from a piece of... |
| 6 | English | celluloid | Any of a variety of thermoplastics created from... |
| 7 | English | -oid | Of similar form to, but not the same as. Having... |
| 8 | Latin | -oides | -like, -form |
| 9 | Greek | -ο | ending for accusative singular forms (eg δρόμος, ψήφος); and some vocative singular forms |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | εἶδος | That which is seen: form, image, shape;... |
| 11 | Spanish | -scopio | -scope |
| 12 | Latin | -scopium | — |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | σκοπέω | I look, look at, behold; I examine, inspect; 413... |
| 14 | Ancient Greek | σκοπός | watcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout |
via Middle French relai
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | relai | reserve pack of hounds |
| 2 | Middle French | relaier | to exchange tired animals for fresh |
| 3 | Old French | relaier | to leave behind |
| 4 | Old French | re- | re- again; once more |
| 5 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 6 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 7 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |