Rel

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A casual abbreviation for a relative, meaning a member of one's family or kin
2. Informal slang shortening of relative, referring to a person connected by blood or marriage
3. Short colloquial term for a family member or kinsman, often used in everyday speech

Etymology: "Rel" is a clipped form of "relative," and it is one of those abbreviations that most people use without thinking about the word it shortens. The longer word reaches back through Middle French "relatif" to Late Latin "relātīvus," built on "relātus," the past participle of "referō," meaning "to carry back." The Latin verb itself combined "re-" ("again" or "back") with "ferō" ("to bear or carry"), so the core image is of something being carried back toward another thing. That image explains the modern sense. A relative, whether a family member or a relation in grammar, is something that is brought back and tied to something else. The English word "relate" grew from the same root, and "relative" joined it with the suffix "-ive," which turns a verb-like stem into an adjective meaning "having the quality of." The clipped form "rel" is a modern convenience, used mainly in written shorthand and informal speech.