Relies

How to spell relies

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce relies

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does relies mean?

1. verbDepends on or trusts in someone or something for support, help, or success.

Relies in a sentence

• The whole project relies on a single supplier delivering on time.

• She relies on the early train to reach the office before nine.

Where does relies come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the third-person singular present form of the verb 'rely', which entered English in the 1300s from the Old French relier, meaning 'to bind together' or 'to fasten again'. That French verb came in turn from the Latin religare, built from the prefix re- (here adding force) and ligare, meaning 'to bind' or 'to tie', the same root that gives us 'ligature' and 'oblige'. The earliest English sense kept close to the idea of binding: to rely on something was to attach yourself firmly to it. Over the 1500s and 1600s the meaning settled into the modern one of depending on someone or trusting in something for support. The spelling trap appears precisely in this inflected form, because the final 'y' of 'rely' turns into 'ie' before the ending, giving 'relies' rather than the 'relys' that writers sometimes expect.

How the word is built

• re- (back, intensive)
• -ly (root from Old French lier, to bind, from Latin ligare)
• -es (third-person singular present ending)