Picture carrying one thing back and setting it down right beside another, so the line joining them shows. To relate is that move: bringing two things together to see how they tie, or carrying an account — or your own experience — back to someone else.
From the word’s history
From Latin relatus, past participle of referre 'to carry/bear back' (re- 'back' + ferre 'to carry'). That 'carry back' picture still runs through every sense: you carry things back to lay them side by side, or carry an account back to a listener.
源自拉丁文 relatus，是 referre「帶回來、搬回來」的過去分詞（re-「回」＋ferre「搬、帶」）。這個「帶回來」的畫面貫穿了每個意思：把東西帶回來並排比對，或把一段經過帶回去說給人聽。
etymonline.com/word/relate
登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。
原始詞典資料8 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
relateverb/ɹɪˈleɪt/
- 1
To tell in a descriptive way.
- The captain related an old yarn.
- Please relate the circumstances of your journey here today.
- 2
To be relevant specifically to.
- These regulations relate only to exported goods.
- 3
To bring into a relation, association, or connection (between one thing and another).
- The use of video made it possible to relate the talk to the answers given to particular problems in the test. With this research design it was possible to relate changes in test score measures to changes in linguistic features[…]
- 4
To have a connection.
- The patterns on the screen relate to the pitch and volume of the music being played.
- 5
To interact.
- Children who find it hard to relate end up being inadequately socialized.
- 'Men' and 'women' are separate and incomplete identities forced to relate in prescribed patterns.
- 6
To respond through reaction.
- 7
To identify with; to understand.
- I find it difficult to relate to others because I'm extremely introverted.
- 8
obsoleteTo bring back; to restore.
- Abate your zealous haste, till morrow next again / Both light of heaven and strength of men relate.
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。