Where does “相対論” come from?

相対論 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 論, from Japanese 統辞論, from Japanese 統辞 — syntax.

Ancestry of “相対論”, step by step

相対論 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanesetheory
2Japanese統辞論syntax as a field of study, syntactics
3Japanese統辞syntax

via Japanese 相対

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese相対to confront, face; relativity; to be relative

Words derived from “相対論

Every word from Japanese 統辞Every word from Japanese Every word from Japanese 統辞論
相対論 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer