relationship

[Eng. relation; -ship.] 1. The quality or state of being related by kindred, affinity or other alliance or connection. "That partiality of long acquaintance or of relation ship ."- Knox : E ays , No. 166. 2. A tie of kindred or affinity. *rěl-a-tist, s. [Eng. relat(e); -ist.] A relative. "It puts so large a distance 'twixt the tongue and the heart, that they are seldom relatists ."-Howell: Vocal Forest , p. 10. rěl-a-tive, *rel-a-tif, a . & s. [Fr. relatif , from relater =to relate (q. v.); Sp., Port. & Ital. relativo .] A. As adjective : I. Ordinary Language: 1. Having relation, reference, or respect to or bearing on something; relevant, pertinent; having close connection. "I'll have grounds More relative than this." Shakesp.: Hamlet , ii. 2. 2. Depending upon or incident to relation; not absolute or existing by itself; considered as belonging to or respecting something else. "Relative rights of persons are incident to them as members of society, and standing in various relations to each other."- Black stone : Comment., bk. ii., ch. 1. II. Gram.: Applied to a word which relates or refers to another word, sentence, or part of a sentence, which is called the antecedent; as, a relative pronoun. [B. II. 1.] IMG:content-0404.png:[blocks in formation] 2. Logic: A relative term. relative-chord, s. Music: A common chord made up of notes taken from the scale; as, the chords of D minor, E minor, F major, G major, and a minor are relative to the chord or scale of c, these being the only common chords which can be made from the scale of c. relative-chronology, s. Geology: The fixing the date of one geological event relatively to that of another. Thus a certain relative manner; as respecting something else; in relation or respect to something else; not absolutely; comparatively. "Not only relatively , but absolutely le ."-Owen: Cla . Mammal i a , p. 82.