English
relegate
Relegate comes from Latin relēgātus ‘relegated’, from relēgō ‘to dispatch, banish’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks1‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēx1‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgō1‘send, dispatch’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErelēgō2‘to dispatch, banish’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErelēgātus2‘relegated’past participle of relēgō
- Englishearliest quotation 1946relegate2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin relego
- 2 Wiktionary, English relegate
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1946, and December, A Veteran French Tank Engine: “Our correspondent adds that, when he visited Rouen in…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēksWiktionary, Latin relego‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēxWiktionary, Latin relego‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgōWiktionary, Latin relego‘send, dispatch’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErelēgōWiktionary, English relegate‘to dispatch, banish’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErelēgātusWiktionary, English relegate‘relegated’past participle of relēgō
- Englishearliest quotation 1946relegateWiktionary, English relegate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1946, and December, A Veteran French Tank Engine: “Our correspondent adds that, when he visited Rouen in…”
first attested First attested in 1561, borrowed from Latin relēgātus, the past participle of relēgō (“to dispatch, banish”) (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)
The story
First attested in 1561, borrowed from Latin relēgātus, the past participle of relēgō (‘to dispatch, banish’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, lie, lawyer, fellow, layer, log, litter, ledger, lair, ledge, lawless, lees, lig, underlay, leaguer, lias, lagan, 18 more
through Proto-Indo-European *lḗgʰs
disloyalty, illegality, 6 more
through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’
through Latin lēx ‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
lay, legal, loyal, lex, leal, 10 more
through Latin lēgō ‘send, dispatch’
college, collection, election, lesson, collective, select, legend, elite, eligible, colleague, lecture, legacy, collector, coil, elect, negligence, legion, diligent, elegant, delegation, negligent, negligible, cull, collegiate, delegate, legible, lectern, collegium, ineligibility, lector, legation, 24 more
Today it means
verb Exile or banish to a particular place.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “relegate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin relego. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *lēks / relegate