Adjacent Words

Relay definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RELA'Y, n.
1. A supply of horses placed on the road to be in readiness to relieve others, that a traveler may proceed without delay.
2. Hunting dogs kept in readiness at certain places to pursue the game, when the dogs that have been in pursuit are weary.
RELA'Y, v.t. [re and lay.] To lay again; to lay a second time; as, to relay a pavement.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the act of passing something along from one person or group to another; "the relay was successful"
2: a crew of workers who relieve another crew
3: a fresh team to relieve weary draft animals
4: a race between teams; each member runs or swims part of the distance [syn: relay, relay race]
5: electrical device such that current flowing through it in one circuit can switch on and off a current in a second circuit [syn: relay, electrical relay] v
1: pass along; "Please relay the news to the villagers"
2: control or operate by relay

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, set of fresh hounds, from relayen Date: 1651 1. a. a supply (as of horses) arranged beforehand for successive relief b. a number of persons who relieve others in some work <worked in relays around the clock> 2. a. a race between teams in which each team member successively covers a specified portion of the course b. one of the divisions of a relay 3. an electromagnetic device for remote or automatic control that is actuated by variation in conditions of an electric circuit and that operates in turn other devices (as switches) in the same or a different circuit 4. servomotor 5. the act of passing along (as a message or ball) by stages; also one of such stages II. transitive verb (relayed; relaying) Etymology: Middle English, to release a set of fresh hounds, take a fresh horse, from Middle French relaier, from re- + laier to let go, leave — more at delay Date: 1788 1. a. to place or dispose in relays b. to provide with relays 2. to pass along by relays <news was relayed to distant points> 3. to control or operate by a relay III. transitive verb (relaid; -laying) Etymology: re- + ¹lay Date: 1757 to lay again <relay track>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a fresh set of people or horses substituted for tired ones. 2 a gang of workers, supply of material, etc., deployed on the same basis (operated in relays). 3 = relay race. 4 a device activating changes in an electric circuit etc. in response to other changes affecting itself. 5 a a device to receive, reinforce, and transmit a telegraph message, broadcast programme, etc. b a relayed message or transmission. --v.tr. 1 receive (a message, broadcast, etc.) and transmit it to others. 2 a arrange in relays. b provide with or replace by relays. Phrases and idioms: relay race a race between teams of which each member in turn covers part of the distance. Etymology: ME f. OF relai (n.), relayer (v.) (as RE-, laier ult. f. L laxare): cf. RELAX

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Relay Re*lay", a. (Mach.) Relating to, or having the characteristics of, an auxiliary apparatus put into action by a feeble force but itself capable of exerting greater force, used to control a comparatively powerful machine or appliance. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Relay Re*lay" (r?-l?"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Relaid (-l?d); p. pr. & vb. n. Relaying.] [Pref. re- + lay, v.] To lay again; to lay a second time; as, to relay a pavement.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Relay Re*lay" (r?-l?"), n. [F. relais (cf. OF. relais relaxation, discontinuance, It. rilascio release, relief, rilasso relay), fr. OF. relaissier to abandon, release, fr. L. relaxare. See Relax.] 1. A supply of anything arranged beforehand for affording relief from time to time, or at successive stages; provision for successive relief. Specifically: (a) A supply of horses placced at stations to be in readiness to relieve others, so that a trveler may proceed without delay. (b) A supply of hunting dogs or horses kept in readiness at certain places to relive the tired dogs or horses, and to continue the pursuit of the game if it comes that way. (c) A number of men who relieve others in carrying on some work. 2. (Elec.) In various forms of telegraphic apparatus, a magnet which receives the circuit current, and is caused by it to bring into into action the power of a local battery for performing the work of making the record; also, a similar device by which the current in one circuit is made to open or close another circuit in which a current is passing. Relay battery (Elec.), the local battery which is brought into use by the action of the relay magnet, or relay.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(relayed) 1. A relay or a relay race is a race between two or more teams, for example teams of runners or swimmers. Each member of the team runs or swims one section of the race. Britain's prospects of beating the United States in the relay looked poor. N-COUNT 2. To relay television or radio signals means to send them or broadcast them. The satellite will be used mainly to relay television programmes... This system continuously monitors levels of radiation and relays the information to a central computer... VERB: V n, V n to/from n 3. If you relay something that has been said to you, you repeat it to another person. (FORMAL) She relayed the message, then frowned... = pass on VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Supply, relief, recruitment, reinforcement.

Moby Thesaurus

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