Etymologically
Log in

relational

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 02:11. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /rɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l/, /rəˈleɪʃ(ə)n(ə)l/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English relation + -al.[2][3][4][5] Relation is from Anglo-Norman relacioun and Latin relātiō (“a bringing back; a report”).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to human relationships: before 1657, in C. Croke's Fortune's Uncertainty.[2] Merriam-Webster Unabridged dates the kinship sense to about 1657,[6] and Etymonline dates the word to the 1660s.[3]

Semantic evolution

The general sense, relating to or expressing a relation between things, is recorded before 1690,[2] although Etymonline dates it only to 1840.[3] In grammar the word describes forms that express syntactic relations, such as the case endings of Latin,[7] and since 1895 a relational has also been a word, such as a preposition or conjunction, that expresses a relation between other words.[2] In 1970 E. F. Codd used it in computing for a database made of simple tables that can be combined in answer to queries, now the relational database.[2][7][4] In the 17th century the plural noun was used, rarely, for the matters of a personal relationship.[2]

Timeline

  • before 1657 – relating to human relationships.[2]
  • before 1690 – relating to or expressing relation between things.[2] Etymonline dates this sense to 1840.[3]
  • 1895 – grammar, noun, a word expressing relation.[2]
  • 1970 – computing, of a database stored in tables.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of, relating to or consisting in a relation between things.[7][6][2]
  2. Of or relating to human relationships or kinship.[6][2]
  3. (grammar) Expressing a syntactic relation, as the case endings of Latin do.[7]
  4. (computing) Of a database, storing data in tables that can be linked and combined: a relational database.[7][2][4]

Noun

  1. (grammar) A word, such as a preposition or conjunction, that expresses a relation between other words.[2]

Word family

  • relationally
  • nonrelational
  • relational database
  • relational grammar

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins