relation
noun
Relation — the abstract connection that binds two things together
Definition
An abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
In depth
A relation is an abstraction describing how two entities or parts stand connected to one another, a way of comparing, linking, or situating one thing with respect to another. The word names not the things themselves but the invisible thread of connection between them, whether that connection is logical, familial, spatial, or causal.
Origin
The word descends from Latin relatio, a bringing back or reporting, from referre, to carry back or relate. Its modern abstract sense, naming the connection between two things rather than an act of reporting, developed gradually as philosophy and mathematics needed precise vocabulary for the structures of connection underlying logic and comparison.
Usage examples
"The mathematician's proof depended on establishing a precise relation between the two variables."
"She had never fully understood the relation between her parents' silence and her own difficulty trusting anyone."
"Every word in the sentence stands in some relation to every other, the linguist explained, however invisible that structure feels to a native speaker."
How to use it
Relation is precise, abstract vocabulary at home in mathematics, logic, philosophy, and careful analytical prose. It also carries the older, distinct sense of 'relative' or family member, a usage writers should keep separate from the more abstract meaning through clear context.
Related concepts
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