"R" Word Origins

repeatedly

Origin

From repeated plus the adverb suffix -ly.

repel

Latin

From Old French repeller, from Latin repellere, "to drive back," from re- plus pellere, "to push or drive." A doublet of repeal.

repellency

Origin

From repellent + -cy.

repellent

Latin

From Latin repellens, present participle of repellere, "to drive back." Formed from repel plus -ent.

repent

Vulgar Latin

From Old French repentir, from Vulgar Latin repaenitire, ultimately from Latin paenitere, "to cause regret."

repentance

Old French

From Old French repentance, related to repent.

repentant

Old French

From Old French repentant, present participle of repentir, "to repent."

repercussion

Latin

From Latin repercussio, from repercutere 'to strike back', from re- 'back' plus percutere 'to strike'.

repertoire

Late Latin

From French répertoire, from Late Latin repertorium, "an inventory or list."

repertory

Origin

Learned borrowing from Late Latin repertōrium. Doublet of repertoire.

repetition

Latin

From Latin repetitio, from repetere, "to repeat." A doublet of repetitio.

repetitive

Latin

From Latin repetitus plus the adjective suffix -ive.

rephrase

Origin

From re-, "again," plus phrase.

repine

Origin

Believed to have been formed (with uncertainty, due to the unusual formation) as re- + pine, with the verb giving rise to the noun (first attested in 1529 and 1593 respectively); compare the Middle English verb repinen (“(uncertain) to cause trouble to someone, grieve”) (from pīnen (“to cause pain, grieve, hurt, trouble; to starve, pine; to torment, torture”), from Old English pīnian), which may be related.

replace

Origin

From re-, "again," plus place.

replaceable

Origin

From replace plus -able.

replacement

Origin

From replace plus -ment.

replay

Origin

From re-, "again," plus play.

replaying

Origin

From re- + play + -ing.

replenish

Latin

From Old French replenir, "to fill completely," itself built from re- ("again") plus plein, from Latin plenus ("full") — the same root that gives us "plenty" and "complete."

replete

Origin

From Middle English replete (adjective) and repleten (verb), from Old French replet, from Latin repletus.

replica

Latin

From Italian replica, tracing back to Latin replicare ("to fold back" or "to repeat") — a relative of "reply" and "replicate."

replicant

Origin

From Latin replicāns, present participle of replicō. The science fiction sense was coined by David Peoples in the 1982 film Blade Runner.

replicate

Latin

From Latin replicare, "to fold back" — from re- ("back") plus plicare ("to fold"), the same root behind "reply" and "replica."

replication

Latin

From Latin replicatio, built on replicare ("to fold back, repeat") — related to "reply" and "replicate."

replicator

Origin

From replicate + -or.

reply

Latin

From Old French replier, from Latin replicare ("to fold back"), which in medieval usage came to mean "to answer" — the same root as "replicate" and "replica."

repo

Origin

A clipped, informal shortening — of "repossess" in the finance sense, or "repository" in the tech sense.

report

Latin

From Latin reportare, "to carry back," from re- plus portare ("to carry") — the same root as "transport" and "portable."

reporter

Old French

From Old French reporteur, built directly from "report" plus the agent suffix "-er/-or."

repose

Latin

From Old French reposer, "to rest" or "to be still," ultimately from Latin repausare — re- plus pausare ("to pause"), the ancestor of "pause" itself.

reposeful

Origin

From repose + -ful.

reposit

Origin

Borrowed from Latin repositus, past participle of repōnō (“put back”), from re- + pōnō (“put”). See position.

repository

Latin

From Latin repositorium, a place for putting things back or setting things down for storage.

reprehend

Origin

From Latin reprehendō (“I hold back, check, blame”), from re- (“back”) + prehendō (“I hold, seize”). Compare French reprendre (“to reprove”).

reprehensible

Late Latin

From Late Latin reprehensibilis, from Latin reprehendere ("to seize, to blame") — the same root as "reprehend" and "apprehend."

reprehension

Origin

Borrowed from Latin reprehensio, reprehensionis.

reprehensive

Origin

Compare French répréhensif.

reprehensively

Origin

From reprehensive + -ly.

represent

Latin

From Old French representer, from Latin repraesentare, "to present again or bring before" — from re- plus praesentare ("to present").

representation

Latin

From Latin repraesentatio, built on repraesentare ("to present again") — the noun form of "represent."

representative

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin repraesentativus, built on the same root as "represent."

repress

Latin

From Latin repressus, the past participle of reprimere, "to press back" — from re- plus premere ("to press").

repression

Latin

Formed from "repress" plus the noun-forming suffix "-ion," ultimately from Latin reprimere ("to press back").

reprieve

Middle French · 1513

First recorded around 1513, likely from Middle French repris ("taken back"), related to reprendre ("to take back") — a cousin of "reprise."

reprimand

Latin

From French reprimande, from reprimer ("to repress") — ultimately from the same Latin root as "repress."

reprisal

Latin

From Old Italian ripresaglia via Anglo-Norman reprisaille, ultimately from Latin reprehendere ("to seize back").

reprise

French

From French reprise "resumption, retaking", from reprendre "to take back", from Latin reprehendere.