What is the Latin word for relative?

The usual Latin words for “relative” are relātīvus, prōnōmen. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“relative” in Latin

relātīvusrelative, not absolute; having relation to or dependence on something else prōnōmenpronoun

The English word relative itself goes back to Latin ferō, through relātīvus.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

relative adj.

(In grammar)(In grammar), relativus (e.g., pronomen, grammatical): quod ad alterum aliquid refertur: quod sibi aliud aliquid assumit (which implies and has reference to something else; opposed to quod simpliciter et ex sua vi consideratur, Cic., De Invent., 2, 33, 102).

(In philosophical language)(In philosophical language), by circumlocution (☞ in this sense relativus and relative are not Latin); e.g., all these are relative ideas, with respect to length or shortness, omnia ista ut cuique data sunt pro rata parte, ita longa aut brevia nominantur (Cic., Tusc., 1, 39, 94).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for relative?: The usual Latin words for “relative” are relātīvus, prōnōmen. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.