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relationship

Etymology and origin of the English word relationship

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1640s
Ultimate origin
English (relation)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /rɪˈleɪ.ʃən.ʃɪp/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English relation + -ship.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The state of being related, by kinship, affinity or another alliance: the 1640s in Etymonline,[2] 1724 in the Historical Thesaurus and Merriam-Webster Unabridged,[4][5] and before 1744 in the OED.[6] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate gives 1741.[7]

Semantic evolution

The word covers both kinship and any connection or association between things or people.[4][8] An emotional and sexual association between two people is a relationship by 1944.[2][4]

Timeline

  • 1640s – the state of being related.[2]
  • 1724 – kinship; connection.[4][5]
  • 1944 – a romantic or sexual relationship.[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The condition or fact of being related; a connection or association.
  2. Connection by blood or marriage; kinship.
  3. The way in which people or groups deal with each other: a good working relationship.
  4. A romantic or sexual involvement.
  • relate
  • relation
  • relative
  • -ship

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Relationship.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/relationship. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·