relay
pronunciation
How to pronounce relay in British English:
UK [ˈriːleɪ]
How to pronounce relay in American English:
US [ˈriːleɪ]
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- Noun:
- the act of relaying something
- electrical device such that current flowing through it in one circuit can switch on and off a current in a second circuit
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- Verb:
- pass along
- control or operate by relay
Word Origin
- relay (n.)
- late 14c., "hounds placed along a line of chase," from Middle French relai "reserve pack of hounds or other animals" (13c.), from Old French relaier "to exchange tired animals for fresh," literally "leave behind," from re- "back" (see re-) + laier "to leave" (see delay (v.)). The etymological sense is "to leave (dogs) behind (in order to take fresh ones)." Of horses, 1650s. Electromagnetic sense first recorded 1860. As a type of foot-race, it is attested from 1898.
- relay (v.)
- c. 1400, "to set a pack of (fresh) hounds after a quarry;" also "change horses," from Old French relaiier, from relai (see relay (n.)). Related: Relayed; relaying.
Example
- 1. We default to text to relay difficult information .
- 2. The international olympic torch relay is now a sorry sight .
- 3. The demonstrations against the torch relay have probably intensified interest in the games .
- 4. Tiny electronics at the edges act as sensors and relay signals to a computer .
- 5. The rna messenger molecules relay them to structures known as ribosomes that read them and make proteins accordingly .