Relay

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹiːleɪ/

Definitions

1. To pass along information, messages, or signals from one person or place to another
2. To transfer information, signals, or messages from one source to another while acting as a mediator in the communication process
3. To transmit data, messages, or signals from one entity to another in a sequence or by means of a group of individuals working together

Etymology: The original sense of this word was a fresh set of animals, not a message. In medieval hunting, a "relai" was a reserve pack of hounds kept in waiting and brought forward to replace tired dogs during a chase. The name came from Old French "relaier," meaning "to leave behind," and the idea was simple: the exhausted animals were left behind and fresh ones took over the pursuit. The verb sense of changing over one group for another carried into English as a word for stations along a route where horses or runners were swapped out. From there it became a way of describing any handover from one party to the next, and eventually the sense of passing a message or signal along a chain of people or devices. The root beneath all this is "lay," from Old English "lecgan," meaning to put or place something down. English "relay" is therefore literally a compound of "re-" and "lay," so the word still carries the notion of setting something down again and passing it on.

Synonyms: transfer, pass, hand off

Antonyms: hold, retain