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relego

Etymology and origin of the Latin word relego

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Cato
Ultimate origin
Latin (lēgō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [rɛˈɫeː.ɡoː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [reˈlɛː.ɡo][1]

Forms

relēgō (present infinitive relēgāre, perfect active relēgāvī, supine relēgātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from re- (“back, away”) and lēgō “to send as a deputy, bequeath”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Cato, of sending someone away to a remote place.[2] Köbler dates Cato 234–149 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to banish a person to a given place or a given distance from Rome, the mild form of exile called relēgātiō, as in Cicero, and more widely to send someone out of the way, as Cicero's father who removed his son from society to his country estates.[2][5][6] Lewis and Short note that in Classical prose it usually has an odious sense.[5] It also meant to transfer a matter or shift blame to another, as in Quintilian, and in wills to bequeath property back to its owner, as in Ulpian.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to banish, remove.[7] English relegate was borrowed in the 1590s, in the sense “to banish”.[3]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of sending away.[2][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of banishment.[2][4]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of shifting blame.[2][4]
  • 1590s – English relegate is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To banish (to a place or distance).[2]
  2. To send away, remove; to relegate.[2]
  3. To transfer (a matter); to shift (blame).[2]
  4. To bequeath back.[2]

Word family

  • relēgātiō
  • allegō
  • colligō
  • dīligō
  • ēligō
  • intellegō
  • legō
  • neglegō
  • perlegō
  • praelegō
  • sēligō
  • English relegate

Usage notes

A different verb relegō, relegere, from re- and legō, meant to gather up again, to go back over a path, and to read over again.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Relego.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/relego. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·