Added 6 October 2026
relevant
/ˈɹɛləvənt/ adjective
Latin root: relevāns First recorded: 1700 Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about relevant at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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Related, connected, or pertinent to a topic. Directly related, connected, or pertinent, with important ramifications or implications.
His mother provided some relevant background information concerning his medical condition.
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Directly related, connected, or pertinent, with important ramifications or implications.
His mother provided some relevant background information concerning his medical condition.
- Not out of date; current.
Origin
From Scots relevant meaning "legally pertinent," used in Scottish legal circles starting in the early 1500s, and first used in English in the 1700s. Borrowed from Latin relevāns, relevāntem, present active participle of relevō (“lift up again, lighten, relieve”), from re- (“again”) + levō (“lift”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)