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-rel

1 American  

  1. a noun suffix having a diminutive or pejorative force.

    wastrel.
rel. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. relating.

  2. relative.

  3. relatively.

  4. released.

  5. religion.

  6. religious.

rel. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. relating

  2. relative(ly)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
-rel 2 British  

suffix

  1. mainly disparaging indicating a person or thing viewed as diminutive, trivial, or worthless

    mongrel

    wastrel
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of -rel

Middle English < Old French -erel, -erelle

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The forms -rel, as in cockerel, pickerel, and -let, as in streamlet, require a separate consideration.

From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.