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relativity

n. uncountable
C1 Advanced US //ˌɹɛɫəˈtɪvəti// UK //ɹɪlɐtˈɪvɪti// rel·a·tiv·i·ty

n. the idea that how you see things like time and space depends on where you are and how fast you are moving. It also means that things only have value or meaning when you compare them to something else.

n. the state of being dependent on a specific frame of reference or relationship. In physics, it refers to the theories of Albert Einstein regarding the interdependence of space, time, and motion.


SIMPLE

The theory of relativity changed how we understand the universe.

CONTEXTUAL

In economics, the relativity of price means that a ten-dollar discount feels more significant on a small purchase than on a luxury car.

COMPLEX

Einstein's general relativity posits that gravity is not a force between masses but a curvature of spacetime caused by the presence of energy and mass.

Origin

From relative (“connected to or depending on something else”) + -ity (suffix forming nouns from adjectives where the nouns refer to the properties, qualities, or states described by the adjectives). Sense 2.1 (“reliance of the nature of physical phenomena on the relative motion between an observer and the thing observed”) is a translation of German Relativität (“relativity”) used in the works of the German-American theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879–1955). Morphologically relative + -ity.

Usage

Often used with the preposition 'of' to specify the relationship being described.

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