relay

1.

/ˈrileɪ/

passing something along from one person or group to another

2.

/riˈleɪ/

pass along

Other forms: relays; relayed; relaying; relaid

If you relay something, you pass it to another person. When you relay the information that your pet monkey is known to attack people to your neighbors, you should bring a basket of muffins.

Relay comes from the French relayer, which means "to change hounds on a hunt." It still has that sense of something passed in motion. You might run a relay race — each team member carries a baton part-way, then passes it on. We relay news, as when you take a message from Sally and relay it to Harry. A fresh work crew is a relay, and so is an electrical switch that can turn a second circuit on.

Definitions of relay (/ˈrileɪ/)

1. noun

   the act of passing something along from one person or group to another
   “the relay was successful”

   type of:

   handing over, passage

   the act of passing something to another person
2. noun

   a race between teams; each member runs or swims part of the distance
   synonyms: relay race

   types:

   torch race

   (ancient Greece) in which a torch is passed from one runner to the next

   type of:

   race

   a contest of speed
3. noun

   a crew of workers who relieve another crew
   type of:

   shift

   a crew of workers who work for a specific period of time
4. noun

   a fresh team to relieve weary draft animals
   type of:

   team

   two or more draft animals that work together to pull something
5. noun

   electrical device such that current flowing through it in one circuit can switch on and off a current in a second circuit
   synonyms: electrical relay

   type of:

   electrical device

   a device that produces or is powered by electricity