relié

relié is the masculine singular past participle of the French verb relier, meaning “to bind” or “to connect.” In contemporary French it is used as an adjective to describe objects that have been physically joined, most commonly books, as in un livre relié (a bound book), and to indicate relationships of logical or thematic connection, such as des faits liés ou reliés (linked or related facts).

In the publishing industry, rélié designates a work that has been assembled with a hard or soft cover, sewn or glued together, distinguishing it from un‑bound pamphlets, loose‑leaf collections, or digital formats. The term also appears in the context of archival and library science, where a rélié volume implies a durable, permanent format intended for long‑term preservation.

Beyond printing, the concept of being rélié extends to other fields. In music, a rélié passage may refer to a segment that connects themes or sections within a composition. In linguistics, the adjective can describe lexical items that are etymologically or semantically connected.

The word appears in French surnames, most notably in the name of the 19th‑century French painter Pierre‑Louis Rélié, though the surname is relatively rare. In French legal terminology, a document that has been officially attached or annexed to a primary file may be described as rélié.

Overall, relié functions both as a descriptive term for physically bound objects and as a metaphorical marker of conceptual or relational linkage across various disciplines.