A Relay Was Once a Fresh Set of Horses
A relay is a team event where members take turns. The word began with fresh horses waiting along a road.
A relay is a race in which team members take turns, or the passing of something along a chain. The origin is equine: Old French *relais* meant fresh hounds or horses set down along a route to replace tired ones. A long journey was made in relays, changing animals at each stage, and the running race borrowed the structure exactly. In electronics a *relay* is a switch operated by a small current to control a larger one, passing the signal onward.
- A team race. *The 4x100 relay.*
- To pass along. *Relay the message.*
- An electrical switch. *A relay circuit.*
- Relay station — a signal repeater. *A relay station.*
- Old French — *relais*, fresh horses. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | relay | A relay. |
| Plural | relays | Relays. |
| Verb | relay | Relay it. |
| Past | relayed | Relayed. |
| French | relais | A relay. |
- They won the sprint relay.Athletics.
- Relay the message to the crew.Verb.
- A relay switches the main circuit.Electronics.
How relay travel worked
- Posting houses kept fresh horses along main roads
- A rider changed mounts rather than resting his own
- Mail coaches used the same system for speed
- The Pony Express ran relays across the American west in 1860
- The baton pass in athletics preserves the handover moment
Old French *relais*, fresh horses or hounds stationed along a route, from *relaissier*, to leave behind.
Why is a race called a relay?
From the system of leaving fresh horses along a road, so a journey continued at speed with each stage handing on to the next.
What is an electrical relay?
A switch operated by a small current so that it can control a much larger one, passing the signal onward.