Relegates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Transfers someone or something to a less important rank or position
2. Moves a person or thing down in status or priority
3. Places someone or something into a lower category or group

Etymology: "Relegates" is the third-person singular form of "relegate," so its history is that of the verb itself. "Relegate" comes from the Latin "relegare," meaning "to send away, banish, or consign," built from "re-" (back, away) and "legare" (to send on a mission, to delegate). The sense of sending someone off into exile or obscurity is still present in the verb's older uses, which is why it carries a flavour of demotion or being pushed aside. The modern sense of moving something into a lower rank or category, as in a sports team dropped to a lower division, developed from that idea of consigning someone to a less important place. The verb's core notion has stayed remarkably steady across the centuries: something is sent back, away, or down.

Synonyms: assigns, transfers

Antonyms: promotes, uplifts