re-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "re"

English

Etymology

From Middle English re-, from Old French re-, from Latin re-, red- (“back; anew; again; against”), of uncertain origin but conjectured by Watkins to be from Proto-Indo-European *wret-, a metathetic alteration of *wert- (“to turn”). Displaced native English ed-, eft-, a-, with-/wither-, gain-/again-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɹiː/, /ɹɪ/, /ɹə/
- IPA: /ɹiː/
  ^help
- IPA: /ɹɪ/
  ^help
- IPA: /ɹə/
  ^help

Prefix

re-

again, anew
renew, recommit, reheat
a completive or intensification of the base; up, a-, out
reletter, relead, rebronze (examples from: ^[1])
back, backward
reject, reply, resist

Usage notes

The pronunciation varies depending on the word, with /ɹiː/, /ɹɪ/ (some pronunciations), /ɹɛ/ found in words like replay, resist and revolution, respectively.
The hyphen is not normally included in words formed using this prefix, except when the absence of a hyphen would make the meaning unclear. Hyphens are used in the following cases:
- Sometimes in new coinages and nonce words.
  stir and re-stir the mixture
- When the word that the prefix is combined with begins with a capital letter.
  re-Christianise
- When the word that the prefix is combined with begins with another re-.
  re-record
- In British usage, when the word that the prefix is combined with begins with e.
  re-entry (North American: reentry)
- When the word formed is identical in form to another word in which re- does not have any of the senses listed above.
  The chairs have been re-covered (covered again)
  
  The chairs have been recovered (obtained back)
A dieresis may be used instead of a hyphen, as in reëntry. This usage is now rare, but extant; see diaeresis (diacritic) for examples and discussion.
re- is highly productive, to the point of being almost grammaticalized — almost any verb can have re- applied, especially in colloquial speech. Notable exceptions to this include all forms of be and the modal verbs can, should, etc. When used productively, it is always pronounced /ɹiː/.

Synonyms

(again): ana-, palin-
(back): with-

Derived terms

English terms prefixed with re-

Translations

again

Armenian: վերա- (vera-)
Azerbaijani: yenidən
Catalan: re- (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 重- (-chóng), 再- (zài-)
Crimean Tatar: yañıdan
Czech: pře- (cs), znovu-
Danish: gen-
Dutch: her- (nl), weer-, weder-
Esperanto: re- (eo)
Finnish: jälleen- (fi), uudestaan (fi)
French: r- (fr), re- (fr), ré- (fr)
Middle French: re-

Old French: re-
Galician: re- (gl)
Georgian: ხელახლა (xelaxla), განმეორებით (ganmeorebit), კვლავ (ḳvlav), რე- (re-)
German: re- (de), wieder- (de), zurück- (de)
Greek: ανα- (el) (ana-), επανα- (el) (epana-), ξανα- (el) (xana-)
Hittite: 𒀀𒀊𒉺 (a-ap-pa)
Hungarian: újra- (hu), újjá- (hu)
Icelandic: endur-
Ido: ri-
Interlingua: re-
Irish: a-, ath-
Italian: re- (it), ri- (it)
Japanese: 再- (ja) (sai-), -直す (-naosu), -返す (-kaesu)
Khmer: វិញ (km) (vɨñ)
Korean: 재 (ko) (jae), 재 (jae-)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: ve- (ku)
Luwian: 𒀀𒀊𒉺 (a-ap-pa)
Malayalam: പുനഃ- (punaḥ-)
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Norman: èr-, re-
Norwegian: gjen-
Occitan: re-
Old English: ed-, aġēn
Persian: باز- (bâz-)
Polish: od- (pl), prze- (pl)
Portuguese: re- (pt)
Romanian: re- (ro)
Russian: пере- (ru) (pere-), воз- (ru) (voz-)/вос- (ru) (vos-), ре- (ru) (re-)
Sanskrit : पुनः- (punaḥ-)
Scottish Gaelic: ath- (lenites)
Spanish: re- (es)
Swedish: åter- (sv), re- (sv), om- (sv)
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: yeniden (tr), tekrar (tr)
Ukrainian: пере- (pere-), воз- (voz-), ре- (re-), від- (vid-)
Vietnamese: lại (vi)
Walloon: ri- (wa), er- (wa), r- (wa)
Welsh: ail-, eil-, ad-, at-

References

“re-”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

^ Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “re- (prefix),” December 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1031113569.

Anagrams

'er, -'er, -er, E-R, E. R., E.R., ER, er, er.

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re- (again)
‎re- + ‎fer (“to do”) → ‎refer (“to redo”)
intensifier for adjectives and adverbs
Synonym: -íssim

‎re- + ‎vell (“old”) → ‎revell (“very old”)
great-, grand- (used to denote the removal of one generation)
Synonym: bes-

‎re- + ‎nebot (“nephew”) → ‎renebot (“grandnephew”)

Derived terms

Catalan terms prefixed with re-

Chuukese

Prefix

re-

(inflected as a noun) with
(subject marker for tense modifying adverbs) they

Esperanto

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

indicates repetition, again
indicates a return to previous state, back
indicates an action performed reciprocally, back (e.g., to hit back, to talk back)

Derived terms

Esperanto terms prefixed with re-

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re- (ORB large)

Attaches to verbs, often adding a sense of repetition or reversion.

Derived terms

Franco-Provençal terms prefixed with re-

French

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʁə/
Audio: (file)

Prefix

re-

re-
‎re- + ‎marcher (“to function”) → ‎remarcher (“to function again”)
meaningless generic derivation prefix, especially as r-. From semantic bleaching of sense 1 followed by the unprefixed terms becoming obsolete or diverging in meaning.

Usage notes

This is only used when the stem starts with a consonant; otherwise, ré- or r- are used.

Derived terms

French terms prefixed with re-

German

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʁe/
Audio: (file)

Prefix

re-

re-

Derived terms

German terms prefixed with re-

Hungarian

Etymology

From Latin re- (“again; back”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈrɛ]

Prefix

re-

indicates repetition, again
indicates a return to previous state, back

Derived terms

Hungarian verbs prefixed with re-

Interlingua

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

back, backwards
again; prefix added to various words to indicate an action being done again, or like the other usages indicated above under English.

Derived terms

Interlingua terms prefixed with re-

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin re-. The prefix re- is borrowed from Latin, while the variant ri- is inherited from Latin.^[1]

Prefix

re-

re-
Synonym: ri-

Usage notes

The prefix re- normally replaces ri- before words beginning with i, for euphonic reasons.

Derived terms

Italian terms prefixed with re-

References

^ Migliorini, Bruno with Aldo Duro (1950) Prontuario etimologico della lingua italiana (in Italian), Paravia

Latin

Etymology

The Latin prefix rĕ- is from Proto-Italic *wre (“again”), which has a parallel in Umbrian re-, but its further etymology is uncertain (OED). While it carries a general sense of "back" or "backwards", its precise sense is not always clear, and its great productivity in classical Latin has the tendency to obscure its original meaning.

Watkins proposes a metathesis of Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”), (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?) while de Vaan suggests Proto-Indo-European *ure- (“back”), which may be found in Proto-Slavic *rakъ (“crayfish, lobster”) (tentatively, in an original sense *“looking backwards”) and Albanian rrë- (“back”, preverb), unless the latter is borrowed from Latin.^[1]

Prefix

re-

back, backwards
un-, de-^[2]
‎re- + ‎glūtinō (“glue”) → ‎reglūtinō (“unglue, separate”)

‎re- + ‎neō (“spin, weave, entwine”) → ‎reneō (“unspin, unravel”)

‎re- + ‎gelō (“freeze, congeal”) → ‎regelō (“thaw, unfreeze”)
again; prefix added to various words to indicate an action being done again, or like the other usages indicated above under English.

Usage notes

The prefix anciently also occurs in the form red-, where the -d- is a remnant of the ancient characteristic of the ablative, e.g. in red-do, and with a compositional -i- in redi-vivus. This feature is shared with the preposition se- (originally identical with the conjunction sed), and also in prod-, antid-, postid- (see Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary, 1897, s.v. "re" and "D").

The -d- is found before vowels and h, but in later Latin is dropped, as in e.g. reaedifico, reinvito. Assimilation of the d before consonants produced the forms relligio, relliquiae, reccido; and the suppression of the d may account for the frequent lengthening of the e by poets in rēduco, rēlatum.

Derived terms

Latin terms prefixed with re-

Descendants

Catalan: re-
→ English: re-
French: re-, ré-, r-
Galician: re-
Interlingua: re-
Italian: re-, ri-
Norman: re-, èr-
Occitan: re-
Picard: ar-
Portuguese: re-
Romanian: ră-, re-
Spanish: re-

References

^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “re-, red-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 516
^ R. B. Burnaby (1905) Elegiac Selections from Ovid, page 98

Middle French

Prefix

re-

re- (again; once more)

Neapolitan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re-

Derived terms

Neapolitan terms prefixed with re-

Norman

Alternative forms

èr-

Etymology

From Old French re-, from Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re-

Derived terms

Norman terms prefixed with re-

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re-

References

Norwegian Bokmål terms prefixed with re-

“re-” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re-

References

Norwegian Nynorsk terms prefixed with re-

“re-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re-

Derived terms

Occitan terms prefixed with re-

Old French

Prefix

re-

re- (again; once more)

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin re-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /rɛ/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ɛ
Syllabification: re
Homophones: re, Re

Prefix

re-

re- (again, anew)
re- (back, backward)

Derived terms

Polish terms prefixed with re-

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese re-, from Latin re-.

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁe/ [he], /ˌʁe/ [ˌhe]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ʁe/ [χe], /ˌʁe/ [ˌχe]

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɨ/

Prefix

re-

re- (forms verbs indicating that the action is being done again)
‎re- + ‎fazer (“to do”) → ‎refazer (“to redo”)

Derived terms

Portuguese terms prefixed with re-

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin re-. The form ră- only appears in a few inherited words.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /re/

Prefix

re-

re-

Spanish

Etymology 1

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

again
‎re- + ‎construir → ‎reconstruir
backwards
‎re- + ‎fluir → ‎refluir
opposition
‎re- + ‎pugnar → ‎repugnar

Etymology 2

Of Proto-Celtic origin, cognate with Irish ró- (“very”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Prefix

re-

forms superlatives from adjectives
Synonyms: muy, -ísimo

‎re- + ‎bueno (“good”) → ‎rebueno (“great”)

‎re- + ‎chulo (“cute”) → ‎rechulo (“very cute”)

Derived terms

rete-, requete-, recontra-
re

Derived terms

Spanish terms prefixed with re-

Swedish

Prefix

re-

re-; doing something again
Synonyms: åter-, om-

Derived terms

Swedish terms prefixed with re-

Anagrams

-er, er, er-

[oedonline-1] Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “re- (prefix),” December 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1031113569.

[2] Migliorini, Bruno with Aldo Duro (1950) Prontuario etimologico della lingua italiana (in Italian), Paravia

[3] De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “re-, red-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 516

[4] R. B. Burnaby (1905) Elegiac Selections from Ovid, page 98

[1]

[1]

[1]

[2]

re-

English

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Usage notes

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

Further reading

Chuukese

Prefix

Esperanto

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Usage notes

Derived terms

See also

German

Pronunciation

Prefix

Derived terms

Hungarian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Prefix

Derived terms

Interlingua

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

Italian

Etymology

Prefix

Usage notes

Derived terms

References

Latin

Etymology

Prefix

Usage notes

Derived terms

Descendants

References

Middle French

Prefix

Neapolitan

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

Norman

Alternative forms

Etymology

Prefix

Derived terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Prefix

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Prefix

References

Occitan