means The quality of being closely connected or appropriately related to the matter at hand.

from From Latin relevare, "to lift up, lighten," built from re- (again) and levare (to raise) — a cousin of "relieve" and "levity." The legal-flavored "relevant" arrived in English (via Scottish law and Medieval Latin relevans, "bearing upon") to mean something that legally lifts or supports a case. So at its root, what is relevant literally helps carry the weight of the argument.