re·la·tion

(rĭ-lā′shən)

1. A logical or natural association between two or more things; relevance of one to another; connection: the relation between smoking and heart disease.

2. The connection of people by blood or marriage; kinship.

3. A person connected to another by blood or marriage; a relative.

4. The way in which one person or thing is connected with another: the relation of parent to child.

5. relations

a. The mutual dealings or connections of persons, groups, or nations in social, business, or diplomatic matters: international relations.

b. Sexual intercourse.

a. The act of telling or narrating.

b. A narrative; an account.

7. Mathematics A correspondence between two sets, consisting of a set of ordered pairs, the first element of each of which is from the first set, and the second element of each of which is from the second set. If A = {1,2} and B = {3,4}, then {(1,3), (1,4)} is a relation from A to B.

8. Law The principle by which an action done on a certain date is treated as having been done on an earlier date. Also called relation back.

Idiom:

in relation to

In reference to; in connection with: This letter from the bank is in relation to your mortgage.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

relation

(rɪˈleɪʃən)

1. the state or condition of being related or the manner in which things are related

2. connection by blood or marriage; kinship

3. a person who is connected by blood or marriage; relative; kinsman

4. reference or regard (esp in the phrase in or with relation to)

5. the position, association, connection, or status of one person or thing with regard to another or others

6. the act of relating or narrating

7. an account or narrative

8. (Law) law the principle by which an act done at one time is regarded in law as having been done antecedently

9. (Law) law the statement of grounds of complaint made by a relator

10. (Mathematics) logic maths

a. an association between ordered pairs of objects, numbers, etc, such as … is greater than …

b. the set of ordered pairs whose members have such an association

11. (Philosophy) philosophy

a. internal relation a relation that necessarily holds between its relata, as 4 is greater than 2

b. external relation a relation that does not so hold

[C14: from Latin relātiō a narration, a relation (between philosophical concepts)]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

re•la•tion

(rɪˈleɪ ʃən)

n.

1. a significant association between or among things; connection: the relation between cause and effect.

2. relations,

a. the various connections or dealings between peoples, countries, etc.: foreign relations.

b. the various connections in which persons are brought together: business relations.

c. sexual intercourse.

3. the mode or kind of connection between one person or thing and another.

4. connection between persons by blood or marriage; relationship.

5. a person who is related by blood or marriage; relative.

6. the act of relating or narrating.

7. Law. a principle whereby an act done at one time is presumed to have taken effect at a previous time.

8. Math.

a. a property that associates two quantities in a definite order, as equality or inequality.

b. a single- or multiple-valued function.

Idioms:

in or with relation to, with reference to; concerning.

[1350–1400; Middle English relacion < Latin relātiō. See relate, -tion]

relation

– relative – relationship

These words are used to refer to people or to connections between people.

1. 'relation' and 'relative'

Your relations or relatives are the members of your family.

I said that I was a relation of her first husband.

I'm going to visit some relatives.

The relations between people or groups are the contacts between them and the way they behave towards each other.

Relations between the two men had not improved.

Britain has close relations with the US.

2. 'relationship'

You can talk in a similar way about the relationship between two people or groups.

The old relationship between the friends was quickly re-established.

Senor Zapatero has shown that he is keen to have a close relationship with Britain.

A relationship is also a close friendship between two people, especially one involving sexual or romantic feelings.

When the relationship ended two months ago, he was very upset.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	relation - an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together abstract entity, abstraction - a general concept formed by extracting common features from specific examples possession - anything owned or possessed social relation - a relation between living organisms (especially between people) spatial relation, position - the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated; "the position of the hands on the clock"; "he specified the spatial relations of every piece of furniture on the stage" ownership - the relation of an owner to the thing possessed; possession with the right to transfer possession to others causality - the relation between causes and effects human relationship, relationship - a relation between people; (`relationship' is often used where `relation' would serve, as in `the relationship between inflation and unemployment', but the preferred usage of `relationship' is for human relations or states of relatedness); "the relationship between mothers and their children" function - a relation such that one thing is dependent on another; "height is a function of age"; "price is a function of supply and demand" association - a relation resulting from interaction or dependence; "flints were found in association with the prehistoric remains of the bear"; "the host is not always injured by association with a parasite" logical relation - a relation between propositions mathematical relation - a relation between mathematical expressions (such as equality or inequality) foundation - the basis on which something is grounded; "there is little foundation for his objections" connection, connexion, connectedness - a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it); "there was a connection between eating that pickle and having that nightmare" unconnectedness - the lack of a connection between things linguistic relation - a relation between linguistic forms or constituents component part, part, portion, component, constituent - something determined in relation to something that includes it; "he wanted to feel a part of something bigger than himself"; "I read a portion of the manuscript"; "the smaller component is hard to reach"; "the animal constituent of plankton" kinship, affinity - a close connection marked by community of interests or similarity in nature or character; "found a natural affinity with the immigrants"; "felt a deep kinship with the other students"; "anthropology's kinship with the humanities" family relationship, kinship, relationship - (anthropology) relatedness or connection by blood or marriage or adoption magnitude relation, quantitative relation - a relation between magnitudes control - a relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another; "measures for the control of disease"; "they instituted controls over drinking on campus" business relation - a relation between different business enterprises reciprocality, reciprocity - a relation of mutual dependence or action or influence interrelatedness, interrelation, interrelationship - mutual or reciprocal relation or relatedness; "interrelationships of animal structure and function" temporal relation - a relation involving time comparison - relation based on similarities and differences oppositeness, opposition - the relation between opposed entities change - a relational difference between states; especially between states before and after some event; "he attributed the change to their marriage"
	2.	relation - the act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman; the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and excited until orgasm and ejaculation occur carnal knowledge, coition, coitus, sex act, sexual congress, sexual intercourse, sexual relation, copulation, intercourse, congress sex activity, sexual activity, sexual practice - activities associated with sexual intercourse; "they had sex in the back seat" insemination - the introduction of semen into the genital tract of a female nookie, nooky, piece of tail, roll in the hay, screwing, screw - slang for sexual intercourse hank panky - illicit sexual intercourse penetration - the act (by a man) of inserting his penis into the vagina of a woman criminal congress, unlawful carnal knowledge - forbidden or tabu sexual intercourse between individuals
	3.	relation - a person related by blood or marriage; "police are searching for relatives of the deceased"; "he has distant relations back in New Jersey" relative individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" kin group, kindred, kinship group, clan, kin, tribe - group of people related by blood or marriage ancestor, antecedent, ascendant, ascendent, root - someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent) cousin, cousin-german, first cousin, full cousin - the child of your aunt or uncle descendant, descendent - a person considered as descended from some ancestor or race in-law, relative-in-law - a relative by marriage blood relation, blood relative, cognate, sib - one related by blood or origin; especially on sharing an ancestor with another kin, kinsperson, family - a person having kinship with another or others; "he's kin"; "he's family" enate, matrikin, matrilineal kin, matrilineal sib, matrisib - one related on the mother's side agnate, patrikin, patrilineal kin, patrilineal sib, patrisib - one related on the father's side kinsman - a male relative kinswoman - a female relative kissing cousin, kissing kin - a more or less distant relative; familiar enough to be greeted with a kiss next of kin - the person who is (or persons who are) most closely related to a given person offspring, progeny, issue - the immediate descendants of a person; "she was the mother of many offspring"; "he died without issue" second cousin - a child of a first cousin sib, sibling - a person's brother or sister better half, married person, partner, spouse, mate - a person's partner in marriage
	4.	relation - an act of narration; "he was the hero according to his own relation"; "his endless recounting of the incident eventually became unbearable" recounting, telling recital, yarn, narration - the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events; "his narration was hesitant"
	5.	relation - (law) the principle that an act done at a later time is deemed by law to have occurred at an earlier time; "his attorney argued for the relation back of the amended complaint to the time the initial complaint was filed" relation back judicial doctrine, judicial principle, legal principle - (law) a principle underlying the formulation of jurisprudence law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
	6.	relation - (usually plural) mutual dealings or connections among persons or groups; "international relations" dealings, traffic - social or verbal interchange (usually followed by `with') plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one

relation

noun

1. similarity, link, bearing, bond, application, comparison, tie-in, correlation, interdependence, pertinence, connection This theory bears no relation to reality.

2. relative, kin, kinsman or kinswoman I call him Uncle though he's no relation.

plural noun

1. dealings, relationship, rapport, communications, meetings, terms, associations, affairs, contact, connections, interaction, intercourse, liaison The company has a track record of good employee relations.

2. family, relatives, tribe, clan, kin, kindred, kinsmen, kinsfolk all my relations come from the place

in relation to concerning, regarding, respecting, in connection with, with regard to, on the subject of, in respect of, with reference to, apropos He is the sixth person to be arrested in relation to the coup plot.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

relation

noun

1. A logical or natural association between two or more things:

connection, correlation, interconnection, interdependence, interrelationship, link, linkage, relationship, tie-in.

Informal: hookup.

2. A person connected to another person by blood or marriage:

kin, kinsman, kinswoman, relative.

Translations

أحَدُ الأقْرِباءعَلاقَةعُلاقهعلاقَه

vztahpříbuznýrelace-ápříbuznost

forbindelseforholdpårørendeslægtning

Beziehung Bezug Relation Verbindung Verhältnis

σχέση συγγένεια

relación parentesco pariente

suhe

kertomusomainenrelaatiosuhdesukulainen

relation parent rapport abord

veza

skyldmennitengsltengsl, samskipti

relazione racconto narrazione parente

関係関連

관계

отношение связь сообщение повествование рассказ

príbuznosť

sorodnikodnospovezava

relationsambandsläkting

ความเกี่ยวข้องกันของสิ่งของหรือบุคคล

ilişki akraba ilgi

sự liên quan

关系关联事物之间的关系交往亲属关系

relation

[rɪˈleɪʃən] N

1. (= relationship) → relación f (to, with con) the relation between A and B → la relación entre A y B
to bear little/no relation to sth → tener poco/no tener nada que ver con algo
it bears no relation to the facts → no tiene que ver con los hechos
to bear a certain relation to → guardar cierta relación con ...
to have little/no relation to sth → tener poco/no tener nada que ver con algo
the story has little relation to historical fact → la versión tiene poco que ver con los hechos históricos
in relation to (= compared to) → en relación con, con relación a; (= in connection with) → en lo que se refiere a
Proust in relation to the French novel → Proust en relación con la novela francesa
doubts that parents may have in relation to their children's education → dudas que los padres pudieran tener en lo que se refiere a la ecucación de sus hijos

2. (= relative) → pariente mf, familiar mf
friends and relations → amigos mpl y familiares mpl
all my relations came → vinieron todos mis parientes, vino toda mi familia
close relation → pariente mf cercano/a
this grape is a close relation to the Gamay → esta uva es de la misma familia que la uva Gamay
distant relation → pariente mf lejano/a
she's no relation → no es parienta mía
what relation is she to you? → ¿qué parentesco tiene contigo?
see also blood B
see also poor A1

3. (= contact) relations → relaciones fpl
good relations → buenas relaciones fpl
relations are rather strained → las relaciones están algo tirantes
to break off relations with sb → romper (relaciones) con algn
we have broken off relations with Ruritania → hemos roto las relaciones con Ruritania
we have business relations with them → tenemos relaciones comerciales con ellos
diplomatic relations → relaciones fpl diplomáticas
to enter into relations with sb → establecer relaciones con algn
to establish relations with sb → establecer relaciones con algn
international relations → relaciones fpl internacionales
to have sexual relations with sb → tener relaciones sexuales con algn
see also industrial, public C
see also race ²

4. (= narration) → relato m, relación f, narración f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

relation

[rɪˈleɪʃ^ən]

(= relative) → parent(e) m/f
a distant relation → un(e) parent(e) éloigné(e)
He's a distant relation → C'est un parent éloigné.
She's a distant relation → C'est une parente éloignée.
my close relations → mes parents proches
my relations → ma famille
I've got relations in London → J'ai de la famille à Londres.

(= connection) → lien m
There is an obvious relation between diet and health → Il existe un lien évident entre régime alimentaire et santé.
to bear no relation to sth → être sans rapport avec qch

in relation to (= compared with) → par rapport à relations

npl (= friendly links) → relations fpl
diplomatic relations → relations diplomatiques
international relations → relations internationales

relation

(= person) → Verwandte(r) mf; he’s a/no relation (of mine) → er ist/ist nicht mit mir verwandt; what relation is she to you? → wie ist sie mit Ihnen verwandt?

(= relationship) → Beziehung f; to bear a relation to → in Beziehung stehen zu; to bear no relation to → in keinerlei Beziehung stehen zu, keinerlei Beziehung haben zu; to bear little relation to → wenig Beziehung haben zu; in relation to (= as regards) → in Bezug auf (+acc); (= compared with) → im Verhältnis zu

relations pl (= dealings, ties, sexual relations) → Beziehungen pl; to have business relations with somebody → geschäftliche Beziehungen zu jdm haben; relations are rather strained → die Beziehungen sind etwas gespannt

no pl (of story) → Erzählung f; (of details) → Aufzählung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

relation

[rɪˈleɪʃ/ən] n

a. (relationship) → rapporto, relazione f (Math) → relazione
to bear a relation to → corrispondere a
in relation to → con riferimento a
to have good relations with sb → essere in or avere buoni rapporti con qn
diplomatic/international relations → rapporti diplomatici/internazionali
sexual relations → rapporti sessuali

b. (family, relative) → parente m/f; (kinship) → parentela
what relation is she to you? → che legami di parentela ha con te?

relate

(rəˈleit) verb

1. to tell (a story etc). He related all that had happened to him.

2. (with to) to be about, concerned or connected with. Have you any information relating to the effect of penicillin on mice?

3. (with to) to behave towards. He finds it difficult to relate normally to his mother.

reˈlated adjective

1. belonging to the same family (as). I'm related to the Prime Minister; The Prime Minister and I are related.

2. connected. other related topics.

reˈlation noun

1. a person who belongs to the same family as oneself either by birth or because of marriage. uncles, aunts, cousins and other relations.

2. a relationship (between facts, events etc).

3. (in plural) contact and communications between people, countries etc. to establish friendly relations.

reˈlationship noun

1. the friendship, contact, communications etc which exist between people. He finds it very difficult to form lasting relationships.

2. the fact that, or the way in which, facts, events etc are connected. Is there any relationship between crime and poverty?

3. the state of being related by birth or because of marriage.

relative (ˈrelətiv) noun

a member of one's family; a relation. All his relatives attended the funeral.

adjective

1. compared with something else, or with each other, or with a situation in the past etc. the relative speeds of a car and a train; She used to be rich but now lives in relative poverty.

2. (of a pronoun, adjective or clause) referring back to something previously mentioned. the girl who sang the song; the girl who sang the song.

relatively (ˈrelətivli) adverb

when compared to someone or something else. He seems relatively happy now; This is a fairly unimportant problem, relatively speaking.

relation

→ عَلاقَة vztah forhold Verbindung σχέση parentesco yhteys relation veza relazione 関係 관계 relatie relasjon stosunek relação отношение relation ความเกี่ยวข้องกันของสิ่งของหรือบุคคล ilişki sự liên quan 关系

re·la·tion

n. relación; comparación.

relation

n relación f