re-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "re"

Languages (29)

Akan • Catalan • Chuukese • Danish • Dutch • Esperanto • Franco-Provençal • French • Galician • German • Hungarian • Indonesian • Interlingua • Italian • Latin • Middle French • Neapolitan • Norman • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Occitan • Old French • Polish • Portuguese • Romanian • Slovak • Spanish • Swedish

Page categories

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *wre-

Latin re-

Old French re-bor.

Middle English re-

English re-

From Middle English re-, from Old French re-, from Latin re-, red- (“back; anew; again; against”), see there for more. Displaced native English ed-, eft-, a-, with-/wither-, gain-/again-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɹiː/
- Audio (US): (file)
IPA^(key): /ɹɪ/
- Audio (US): (file)
IPA^(key): /ɹə/
- Audio (US): (file)

Prefix

re-

again, anew
‎re- + ‎new → ‎renew (“to make something new again”)

‎re- + ‎commit → ‎recommit (“to commit an act again”)

‎re- + ‎heat → ‎reheat (“to heat something that has cooled off”)
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- (cs)
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-)
Hindi: पुनर्- (punar-)
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)
Macedonian: пре- (pre-)
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, Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 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.

Akan

Alternative forms

Fante forms:
- ru-
- ro-
- ri-

Pronunciation

(Akuapem) IPA^(key): /rí̙-/
Note: Undergoes ATR and roundness harmony in Fante. In Asante Twi, the previous vowel is lengthened and high toned; see the usage note for more.

Prefix

ré- (Twi)

(affirmative) Marks the progressive aspect.
(negative) Marks the future tense.

Usage notes

Only active verbs can take the progressive aspect.

In Asante Twi, the prefix is phonologically omitted. The preceding vowel, even across a word boundary, is lengthened. In the affirmative, this longer vowel is pronounced with a high tone. In the negative, the longer vowel is pronounced with a rising-falling tone. Alternatively, this could be analyzed as two distinct vowel segments that have the same vowel quality but with the first high toned and the second low toned.

For example, an inflected verb such as ɔrentumi (/ɔ̀.ɹé.ǹ̩tù.mí/, “he/she will not be able”), third-person negative future of tumi (“to be able”), would be realized as [ɔ́ː.ǹ̩.tʰù.mí], a near tonal minimal pair with negative present tense ɔntumi ([ɔ̀.ǹ̩.tʰù.mí]).^[1]

In Akuapem, the vowel of the subject prefix undergoes -ATR harmony to match the progressive prefix.

References

^ LearnAkan.com (16 September 2026), Learn Twi with Akwaboah's "Hyɛ Me Bɔ" (Part 1) 🎬 🎵 | LEARNAKAN.COM‎^[1], YouTube

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

Danish

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re-
Synonyms: gen-, om-, ny-

Derived terms

Danish terms prefixed with re-

References

“re-” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From Latin re-. Doublet of her-.

Prefix

re-

re-

Derived terms

Dutch terms prefixed with re-

Esperanto

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *wre-

Latin re-bor.

Esperanto re-

Borrowed from Latin re-.^[1] Compare English, French, German, Polish, and Spanish re-; French ré-; Italian ri-; Russian ре- (re-)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /re/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -e
Syllabification: 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

References

^ Ebbe Vilborg, “re-”, in Etimologia Vortaro de Esperanto [Etymological Dictionary of Esperanto], volume 5, →ISBN, page 151

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re- (ORB, broad)

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

Derived terms

Franco-Provençal terms prefixed with re-

rechèrchiér

revêre

French

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʁə/
Audio (France (Lyon)): (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-

Galician

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /re/ [rɪ]
Hyphenation: re-

Prefix

re-

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

Derived terms

German

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʁe/
Audio (Germany (Berlin)): (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-

reorganizál

reprivatizál

Indonesian

Etymology

Internationalism, ultimately from Latin re-. Doublet of her.

Pronunciation

(Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈre/ [ˈre]
Rhymes: -e
Syllabification: re-

Prefix

re-

re-

Derived terms

Indonesian terms 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, but it may sometimes be spelled fully nevertheless: rinvio (usual spelling) vs. reinvio

Derived terms

References

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

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *wre- (“again”), of uncertain origin (OED); see the Proto-Italic entry for more.^[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 alternative form red- occurs before vowels or h in old formations; it is used with the linking vowel -i- in the word redivīvus. The -d- can be compared to that in sēditiō (compare sē- and sed) and in prōd-, antid-, postid- (alternative forms of prō-, ante-, post-). It may originate from the particle *de^[3] or from the use of -d as an archaic ablative singular ending. The use of the form re- before vowels, as in reaedifico, reinvito, is not seen until Late Latin.^[3] (See Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary, 1897, s.v. "re" and "D").

Before consonants, its usual form is rĕ- with short /e/, but the following consonant is sometimes doubled. In some cases, such as reccidī, the double consonant comes from syncope of an originally reduplicated syllable of the base word: compare the unprefixed form cecidī. In other cases, such as redducō, relligiō, relliquiae, the double consonant may have arisen from preconsonantal use of red-, with assimilation of -d- to the following consonant.

Derived terms

Latin terms prefixed with re-

Reconstruction:Latin/renegare

Reconstruction:Latin/repaenitire

Reconstruction:Latin/resalire

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
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Lindsay, Wallace Martin (1894), The Latin Language, page 591

Middle French

Prefix

re-

re- (again; once more)

Neapolitan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re-

Derived terms

Neapolitan terms prefixed with re-

revotare

Norman

Alternative forms

èr-

Etymology

From Old French re-, from Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re-

Derived terms

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

Etymology

From Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

re- (again; once more)

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *wre-

Latin re-lbor.

Polish re-

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

Portuguese

Etymology

Inherited 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/

Hyphenation: re-

Prefix

re-

forms verbs indicating that the action is being done again; re-
‎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-

Slovak

Alternative forms

red- (used when followed by a vowel)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *wre-

Latin re-lbor.

Slovak re-

Learned borrowing from Latin re-.

Prefix

re-

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

Derived terms

Slovak terms prefixed with re-

reaktivizácia

References

Králik, Ľubor (2016), “re-”, in Stručný etymologický slovník slovenčiny [Concise Etymological Dictionary of Slovak] (in Slovak), Bratislava: VEDA; JÚĽŠ SAV, →ISBN, page 494

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Italic *wre-

Latin re-der.

Spanish re-

From Latin re-.

The use with adjectives is typical of Ibero-Romance. Compare Italian stra- (from Latin extra-), French très (from Latin trans-; now spelt separate, but formerly also a prefix).

Prefix

re-

back, backwards
‎re- + ‎fluir → ‎refluir

‎re- + ‎pugnar → ‎repugnar
again
‎re- + ‎construir → ‎reconstruir
strongly, intensely
‎re- + ‎bramar → ‎rebramar
(now chiefly colloquial) forms absolute superlatives from adjectives
Synonyms: muy, -ísimo

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

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