relais

R1E1L1A1I1S1
/ɹəˈleɪ/

noun

A narrow space between the foot of the rampart and the scarp of the ditch, serving to catch any earth that may crumble off or be washed down, and prevent its falling into the ditch.

OriginFrench relais →
Less commonScrabble 6
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Meanings

nounrelais (plural relais)
  1. historicalgovernmentA narrow space between the foot of the rampart and the scarp of the ditch, serving to catch any earth that may crumble off or be washed down, and prevent its falling into the ditch.

    if the ground is level, the same person may transport the two cube toises to the distance of 15 toises, which in that case is the length of the relais, which makes him go over 10 leagues per day .

    1803, Essays on the Theory and Practice of the Art of War

Origin

  1. Frenchrelais
  2. Englishrelais

Borrowed from French relais. See relay (noun).

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with relais

amaymedayrewaytodaykjlasayplayzpayawaydisplaystaybayoksurveyleDJraylingerie
All rhymes →

Anagrams

IsraelserialsailerIsrealserailrealisrailesresail
Cite this entry
APA

relais. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/relais

MLA

“relais.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/relais. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “relais,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/relais.

Source: relais on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.