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Which word does not share the same Latin root as rely?

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rely

American  

[ri-lahy] / rɪˈlaɪ /

verb (used without object)

• relies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• relied,
  past participle,  past
• relying
  present participle

1. 

   to depend confidently; put trust in (usually followed by on orupon ).

   You can rely on her work.

   Synonyms:

   bank, count, trust

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rely British  

/ rɪˈlaɪ /

verb

1. to be dependent (on)

   he relies on his charm

2. to have trust or confidence (in)

   you can rely on us

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misrely
  verb (used without object)

Inflected Forms

Participles

• relying
  present
• relied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rely
  simple
• relies
  simple
• have relied
  perfect
• has relied
  perfect
• am relying
  progressive
• are relying
  progressive
• is relying
  progressive
• have been relying
  perfect progressive
• has been relying
  perfect progressive

Past

• relied
  simple
• had relied
  perfect
• was relying
  progressive
• were relying
  progressive
• had been relying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rely
  simple
• will have relied
  perfect
• will be relying
  progressive
• will have been relying
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of rely

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English relien, from Middle French relier, from Latin religāre “to bind fast, hold firmly”; see re-, ligament

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Explanation

To rely is to have confidence in something. You might rely on staying in bed to make you feel better and rely on your friends to tell you everything you missed when you were sick. Rely is a lot like the word depend. If you rely on someone for help, you also depend on her. But rely is even more powerful! When you rely on someone, you have total faith and trust that she will come through. It comes from the Latin word religare which means "to fasten or bind." You're bound to the people you rely on!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rely relies relied relying

Human translators rely on A.I. tools; they have to, just to meet even a fraction of demand, Federici said.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

It said "maintaining fuel duty at its current rate will help avoid additional costs for households and businesses that rely on transport, providing continued support at a time when many islanders remain under financial pressure".

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Tech firms -- which rely on borrowing to fund their huge AI investments -- led the losses Thursday, tracking their counterparts in New York.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Unlike their larger peers, small-cap companies also often rely more heavily on floating-rate debt, instead of locking in borrowing costs through longer-term, fixed-rate bonds.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

She wanted us to know we could rely on her and my grandpa one hundred percent.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Leovane, who said he relies on the revenue he earns through Airbnb to pay his bills, said he made about $11,000 last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

No one understands their audience better than she does, knowing comedy relies as much on observation as on good, old-fashioned slapstick.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

More willing to listen to his body and to communicate what it’s telling him with the ball club that relies on him so much.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

South-east England relies more heavily on groundwater than reservoirs.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

The new phenomenon of cell fusion, a laboratory trick on which much of today’s science of molecular genetics relies for its data, is the simplest and most spectacular symbol of the tendency.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Melting snow provides water for the river, which is relied upon by more than 40 million people across seven U.S. states, tribal nations and Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

An earlier audit of the museum’s security protocols found that the Louvre’s video surveillance and physical security systems relied on a weak password, “LOUVRE.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The Treasury said the bank overly relied on inquiries from outside parties like law enforcement and other financial institutions instead of its own internal controls.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Rather than actively chasing prey, the snake may have relied on ambush tactics, remaining concealed until another animal came within striking distance.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

So they relied completely upon cavalry, since for possessing only a reasonable number of horsemen they were provided for and honoured.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Until the Rams prioritize the position and stop relying on practice-squad castoffs, they will continue to undermine their own championship hopes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

But some top officials gathered in Bangkok this week cautioned against relying too heavily on AI investment.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

“Picks-and-shovels” companies making AI hardware are better-positioned than those relying on “cheap borrowed money to expand,” said Michael Landsberg, chief investment officer at Landsberg Bennett Private Wealth Management.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Rather than relying on visible light, these instruments detect microwave energy naturally emitted by Earth's surface.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

We are to stand, facing away from our classmates, and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

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