Rely

How to spell rely

4 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce rely

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does rely mean?

1. verbTo depend on someone or something for support, help, or to be trustworthy.

Rely in a sentence

• Many commuters rely on the early train to reach work on time.

• Small businesses often rely on a handful of loyal customers.

Where does rely come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word goes back to the Latin religare, which literally meant 'to bind back' or 'to fasten tightly', formed from the prefix re- 'back, again' and the verb ligare 'to bind' (the same root that gives us 'ligament' and 'oblige'). It passed into Old French as relier, meaning 'to bind together' or 'to gather', and English took it up in the 1300s. At first 'rely' carried senses like 'to rally' or 'to bring together', but over time the idea of being bound to something shifted into the modern meaning of leaning on someone for support or trusting them. The original notion of binding is a useful memory hook: when you rely on someone, you are figuratively tied to them. The spelling keeps the simple -ly ending here, which is why writers must remember it ends in a single y and only changes to -lie or -lies in its inflected forms.

How the word is built

• re- (back, again)
• -ly (from Latin ligare, to bind)