Hypertext Webster Gateway: "relative"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Relative \Rel"a*tive\, n.
One who, or that which, relates to, or is considered in its
relation to, something else; a relative object or term; one
of two object or term; one of two objects directly connected
by any relation. Specifically:
(a) A person connected by blood or affinity; strictly, one
allied by blood; a relation; a kinsman or kinswoman.
``Confining our care . . . to ourselves and relatives.''
--Bp. Fell.
(b) (Gram.) A relative pronoun; a word which relates to, or
represents, another word or phrase, called its
antecedent; as, the relatives ``who'', ``which'',
``that''.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Relative \Rel"a*tive\ (r?l"?-t?v), a. [F. relatif, L. relativus.
See {Relate}.]
1. Having relation or reference; referring; respecting;
standing in connection; pertaining; as, arguments not
relative to the subject.
I'll have grounds More relative than this. --Shak.
2. Arising from relation; resulting from connection with, or
reference to, something else; not absolute.
Every thing sustains both an absolute and a relative
capacity: an absolute, as it is such a thing, endued
with such a nature; and a relative, as it is a part
of the universe, and so stands in such a relations
to the whole. --South.
3. (Gram.) Indicating or expressing relation; refering to an
antecedent; as, a relative pronoun.
4. (Mus.) Characterizing or pertaining to chords and keys,
which, by reason of the identify of some of their tones,
admit of a natural transition from one to the other.
--Moore (Encyc. of Music).
{Relative clause} (Gram.), a clause introduced by a relative
pronoun.
{Relative term}, a term which implies relation to, as
guardian to ward, matter to servant, husband to wife. Cf.
{Correlative}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
relative
adj 1: not absolute or complete; "a relative stranger" [ant: {absolute}]
2: properly related in size or degree or other measurable
characteristics; usually followed by `to'; "punishment
oughtt to be proportional to the crime"; "earnings
relative to production" [syn: {proportional}]
n 1: a person related by blood or marriage; "police are searching
for relatives of the deceased"; "he has distant
relations back in New Jersey" [syn: {relation}]
2: an animal or plant that bears a relationship to another (as
related by common descent or by membership in the same
genus) [syn: {congener}, {congenator}]
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