relegate
/ˈɹɛlɪˌɡeɪt/verb
relegate is spelled R-E-L-E-G-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, relegate means “Exile or banish to a particular place” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in relegate?
| Letters | 8: R-E-L-E-G-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 54,808th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is relegate?
Relegate appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,808th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce relegate?
- UK /ˈɹɛlɪˌɡeɪt/
- US /ˈɹɛlɪˌɡeɪt/
- US /ˈɹɛləˌɡeɪt/
As a noun (“A person who has been banished from proximity to Rome for a…”): /ˈɹɛlɪɡət/.
Relegate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-relegate1.wav, En-au-relegate.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-relegate2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of relegate
- relegates present, singular, he/she/it
- relegating participle, present
- relegated participle, past
- religate
- relagate
- relegat
- religait
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does relegate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
Exile or banish to a particular place.
- 2
obsoleterareRemove (oneself) to a distance from something or somewhere.
- 3
Banish from proximity to Rome for a set time; compare relegate.
- 4
Remove or send to a place far away.
- 5
Consign (a person or thing) to a place, position, or role of obscurity, insignificance, oblivion, lower rank or (especially) inferiority.
Her bright ideas were relegated to "tosh" by her manager.
- 6
Assign (a thing) to an appropriate place or situation based on appraisal or classification.
- 7
Transfer (a sports team) to a lower-ranking league division.
After finishing second-bottom in the table, United were relegated from the division.
- 8
Refer (a point of contention) to an authority in deference to the judgment thereof.
noun
- 1
obsoleteA person who has been banished from proximity to Rome for a set time, but without losing his civil rights.
adjective
- 1
archaicRelegated; exiled.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Relegate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | reléguer |
| German | verbannen, fortschicken, absetzen, relegieren , zurückstufen, herabsetzen |
| Spanish | relegar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does relegate come from?
First attested in 1561, borrowed from Latin relēgātus, the past participle of relēgō (“to dispatch, banish”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).