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relay

verb

  1. forward information to a new party
L7501 on Wikidata ↗

noun

  1. electrically operated switch
  2. transmitting, sending along
  3. relay race
L7502 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈɹiːleɪ/ / /ˌɹiːˈleɪ/ / /ˌɹiˈleɪ/

noun

Etymology: From Middle French relai (“reserve pack of hounds”), from relaier (“to exchange tired animals for fresh”); literally, "to leave behind", from Old French relaier (“to leave behind”), from re- + laier (“to leave”), of uncertain origin.

  1. A new set of hounds.
  2. A new set of horses kept along a specific route so that they can replace animals that are tired.
  3. A new set of anything.

    There is a snaky gleam in her hard grey eye, as of anticipated rounds of buttered toast, relays of hot chops, worryings and quellings of young children, sharp snappings at poor Berry, and all the other delights of her Ogress's castle.

    Bank-notes fluttered down and lay about in all directions, relays of sovereigns rolled away like so much dross, […]

  4. A series of vehicles travelling in sequence.
  5. A competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action.
  6. A competition between teams where members of a team take turns completing parts of a course or performing a certain action.
  7. An electrical actuator that allows a relatively small electrical voltage or current to control a larger voltage or current.

verb

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- Old English læġ English lay English relay From re- + lay.

  1. Alternative spelling of re-lay.

    Over this section the 16th class are allowed to haul 800 tons, compared with 600 tons only by the 13th and 14th, and 450 tons by the 12th class engines, and in this way, without any expenditure on civil engineering works or relaying with heavier rails, the introduction of the 16th class has almost doubled the line capacity.

    A reader writes that some Ballachulish branch services are still worked by Class 2 2-6-0s Nos. 46460 and 78052, which have had to be retained at Oban until a tight curve on the outside line of the railway pier, used by coal and oil traffic for the island steamers, has been relaid to standards suitable for the diesels.