RELATION

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does relation mean? 

• RELATION (noun)
  The noun RELATION has 6 senses:

1. an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
2. the act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman; the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and excited until orgasm and ejaculation occur
3. a person related by blood or marriage
4. an act of narration
5. (law) the principle that an act done at a later time is deemed by law to have occurred at an earlier time
6. (usually plural) mutual dealings or connections among persons or groups

  Familiarity information: RELATION used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RELATION (noun)

Meaning:

An abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together

Classified under:

Nouns with no superordinates

Hypernyms ("relation" is a kind of...):

abstraction (a general concept formed by extracting common features from specific examples)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "relation"):

change (a relational difference between states; especially between states before and after some event)

component; component part; part; portion (something determined in relation to something that includes it)

affinity; kinship (a close connection marked by community of interests or similarity in nature or character)

family relationship; kinship; relationship ((anthropology) relatedness or connection by blood or marriage or adoption)

magnitude relation; quantitative relation (a relation between magnitudes)

control (a relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another)

business relation (a relation between different business enterprises)

reciprocality; reciprocity (a relation of mutual dependence or action or influence)

interrelatedness; interrelation; interrelationship (mutual or reciprocal relation or relatedness)

temporal relation (a relation involving time)

comparison (relation based on similarities and differences)

oppositeness; opposition (the relation between opposed entities)

linguistic relation (a relation between linguistic forms or constituents)

unconnectedness (the lack of a connection between things)

possession (anything owned or possessed)

social relation (a relation between living organisms (especially between people))

position; spatial relation (the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated)

ownership (the relation of an owner to the thing possessed; possession with the right to transfer possession to others)

causality (the relation between causes and effects)

human relationship; relationship (a relation between people; ('relationship' is often used where 'relation' would serve, as in 'the relationship between inflation and unemployment', but the preferred usage of 'relationship' is for human relations or states of relatedness))

function (a relation such that one thing is dependent on another)

association (a relation resulting from interaction or dependence)

logical relation (a relation between propositions)

mathematical relation (a relation between mathematical expressions (such as equality or inequality))

foundation (the basis on which something is grounded)

connectedness; connection; connexion (a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it))

Meaning:

The act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman; the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and excited until orgasm and ejaculation occur

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

sexual relation; sexual intercourse; sexual congress; sex act; copulation; coitus; coition; carnal knowledge; intercourse; relation; congress

Hypernyms ("relation" is a kind of...):

sex; sex activity; sexual activity; sexual practice (activities associated with sexual intercourse)

Meronyms (parts of "relation"):

insemination (the introduction of semen into the genital tract of a female)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "relation"):

criminal congress; unlawful carnal knowledge (forbidden or tabu sexual intercourse between individuals)

penetration (the act (by a man) of inserting his penis into the vagina of a woman)

hank panky (illicit sexual intercourse)

ass; fuck; fucking; nookie; nooky; piece of ass; piece of tail; roll in the hay; screw; screwing; shag; shtup (slang for sexual intercourse)

defloration (the act of depriving a woman of her virginity (especially by rupturing the hymen through sexual intercourse))

Meaning:

A person related by blood or marriage

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

relative; relation

Context examples:

police are searching for relatives of the deceased / he has distant relations back in New Jersey

Hypernyms ("relation" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "relation"):

kinsman (a male relative)

kinswoman (a female relative)

kissing cousin; kissing kin (a more or less distant relative; familiar enough to be greeted with a kiss)

next of kin (the person who is (or persons who are) most closely related to a given person)

issue; offspring; progeny (the immediate descendants of a person)

second cousin (a child of a first cousin)

sib; sibling (a person's brother or sister)

agnate; patrikin; patrilineal kin; patrilineal sib; patrisib (one related on the father's side)

enate; matrikin; matrilineal kin; matrilineal sib; matrisib (one related on the mother's side)

family; kin; kinsperson (a person having kinship with another or others)

blood relation; blood relative; cognate; sib (one related by blood or origin; especially on sharing an ancestor with another)

in-law; relative-in-law (a relative by marriage)

descendant; descendent (a person considered as descended from some ancestor or race)

cousin; cousin-german; first cousin; full cousin (the child of your aunt or uncle)

ancestor; antecedent; ascendant; ascendent; root (someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent))

better half; married person; mate; partner; spouse (a person's partner in marriage)

Holonyms ("relation" is a member of...):

clan; kin; kin group; kindred; kinship group; tribe (group of people related by blood or marriage)

Meaning:

An act of narration

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

recounting; telling; relation

Context examples:

he was the hero according to his own relation / his endless recounting of the incident eventually became unbearable

Hypernyms ("relation" is a kind of...):

narration; recital; yarn (the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events)

Meaning:

(law) the principle that an act done at a later time is deemed by law to have occurred at an earlier time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

relation back; relation

Context example:

his attorney argued for the relation back of the amended complaint to the time the initial complaint was filed

Hypernyms ("relation" is a kind of...):

judicial doctrine; judicial principle; legal principle ((law) a principle underlying the formulation of jurisprudence)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Meaning:

(usually plural) mutual dealings or connections among persons or groups

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

international relations

Hypernyms ("relation" is a kind of...):

dealings; traffic (social or verbal interchange (usually followed by 'with'))

Domain usage:

plural; plural form (the form of a word that is used to denote more than one)