relativize

Relativize is a verb used in multiple disciplines to denote the act of making something relative, or restricting it to a particular context or domain. In general use, to relativize means to compare or map something with respect to another reference point rather than assuming fixed absolutes.

In computing, relativization commonly refers to converting absolute references, such as file paths or URLs, into relative ones anchored to a base location. For example, the absolute path /home/user/document.txt relative to /home/user resolves to document.txt. In programming libraries, methods such as Path.relativize in Java compute a path from one location to another; the result is a path that, when joined to the base, yields the target.

In linguistics and formal semantics, relativization involves forming a relative clause or restricting the domain of a predicate. A relative clause modifies a noun phrase, as in "the book that John read." In logic, relativization yields formulas whose quantifiers range only over elements satisfying a given predicate R; for example, ∀x φ(x) becomes ∀x (R(x) → φ(x)), and ∃x φ(x) becomes ∃x (R(x) ∧ φ(x)).

Relativize is thus a cross-disciplinary concept used to impose context, scope, or reference to a chosen baseline, whether in language, logic, or computer science.