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DictionaryRoot: ferre
Latin

ferre

bear, carry, bring

Forms

  • fer-
  • lat- — Used for ‘carried’ in the Latin verb’s grammar, but supplied by a different older root.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *bher-, ‘bear; carry.’

Note

English bear is a relative from the same older source, rather than a Latin borrowing.

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noun

relative

REL-uh-tiv/rˈɛlʌtɪv/

A person connected to someone by family ties.

The girl looks through a family photograph with an older relative, her grandmother.

A Black grandmother and granddaughter compare a family photo together.
Etymology
reLatinback, again; restoration or reversal
+latLatinbear, carry, bring
+iveLatinhaving a quality or tendency

From “carrying back” came the idea of having reference or relation to something else. The family noun specializes that broader connection: a relative is someone connected to another through kinship.

In context

Jews for Judaism5:54
a child has not been named after this deceased person in the family so in ashkenazic families it's very common to name a new child after a deceased relative
THE LIFE CYCLE OF JUDAISM: From Cradle to Grave - Rabbi Michael Skobac - Jews for Judaism

More examples

  • My aunt is the only relative who lives nearby.
  • Are you and Maria relatives?
  • He stays with distant relatives when he visits Chicago.

Forms

relative · relatives

Similar words

relation
Also means a family member, but is less common.
kin
Usually refers to family members collectively rather than individually.