Origin: Latin suffix -ive
Relative has 6 different meanings across 2 categories:
an animal or plant that bears a relationship to another (as related by common descent or by membership in the same genus)
"The botanist spent hours studying the relative's leaf structure to confirm they belonged to the same genus."
Someone in the same family; someone connected by blood, marriage, or adoption.
"When I told my grandmother that her relative was coming to visit, she immediately asked who it was because they hadn't spoken in years."
In plain English: A relative is a person who is related to you by blood, marriage, or adoption.
"My cousin invited her relative to the wedding ceremony."
properly related in size or degree or other measurable characteristics; usually followed by `to'
"the punishment ought to be proportional to the crime"
"earnings relative to production"
Connected to or depending on something else; comparative.
"The value of the offer depends entirely on how much you need it at that moment, so its true worth is relative to your current financial situation."
In plain English: Something that is relative depends on how you compare it to other things rather than being fixed or absolute.
"It is easier to get a loan from your own bank relative than a stranger."
Usage: Use this adjective when describing qualities that are less than perfect but still acceptable, such as in the phrase "a relative success." Do not confuse it with the noun form meaning a family member unless specifically referring to familial connection.
The word "relative" comes from the Middle French relatif, which was borrowed from Late Latin relātīvus. It originally described something that is carried back again to its source, evolving into our modern sense of a person connected by blood or marriage.