Relegate means removing someone's position or position.
Relegate is a term that has its etymological origin in the Latin word relegare . Its original meaning is linked to the time of Ancient Rome , when relegating a citizen consisted of sending him into exile , although with certain particularities that made the existence of both concepts necessary.
The word used in Ancient Rome to designate this penalty of banishment was relegation and it was considered a way of diminishing the "unharmed dignity" of its citizenship, rather than taking it away from them. In fact, unlike exile itself, when a Roman citizen was relegated he retained his property and rights.
The banishment practiced by the ancient Romans consisted of confiscating a citizen's property and depriving him of the use of fire and water, after which he was forced to leave his country to live abroad . While such a situation would be violent for anyone, this form of banishment did not include force: in a twisted way, Roman law expected the condemned to have no choice but to leave of their own free will.
Returning to relegation, the normal destinations to which relegated citizens went were the islands of the Mediterranean Sea . Two clear examples of relegation in the time of the Roman Empire are those of Ovid (one of the best-known Roman poets, notable for works such as "The Metamorphoses" and "Art of Loving" ), who was relegated to Tormes , and Seneca (a philosopher and writer, as well as having served as tutor to Nero ), who was forced to retire to Corsica .
Relegate in Spanish jurisprudence
For the jurisprudence of Spain , relegating a citizen consisted of making him serve an afflictive sentence overseas (that is, in a country that was on the other side of the ocean). The government had a series of fixed destinations for this purpose and the duration of this forced transfer could be temporary or perpetual.
With respect to the rights of the Spanish relegates, they could dedicate themselves to their professions or trades, although they had to submit to constant surveillance.
The term today
Currently, to relegate someone is to take away their position, place or position : “The coach decided to relegate Gómez: Pereyra will play in his place,” “I am going to relegate the math teacher: several parents have filed complaints at the school.” for his way of treating students,” “Ramírez warned me that if the company's productivity does not improve, he will relegate me from management.”
The concept of relegating is also used to mention the action of postponing, postponing or moving away something or someone : “The German driver managed to relegate the Spaniard in the last lap and achieved a new victory” , “If this season the technical director calls me back relegate, I'm going to leave the club since I need to play," "These economic measures will only further relegate the vulnerable sectors of society."
In motorsports, each racer tries to relegate his competitors.
Relegate in a ranking or a leaderboard
The idea of relegation can be easily understood from a position table or a ranking . Take the case of the list of the richest people in the world prepared by the American magazine “Forbes” .
In 2008 , Warren Buffett was in first place on the list, followed by Carlos Slim and Bill Gates . The following year, Gates managed to relegate both, rising to first place. This means that, by relegating them, Gates advanced and took the place previously occupied by Buffett and Slim , who lost their positions and fell back.
Taking into account the examples just presented, let's look at some of the most common antonyms of the term relegate: accept, consider, imply, include, repatriate and prefer . If we think about the meaning that implies taking away someone's rights and banishing them, it is easy to understand that its antonym is repatriate , just as in the case of removing someone from an opportunity or a position the words prefer, include and imply , among others, correspond. possible antonyms.