English word origin

Etymology of re

Borrowed from Latin rē, ablative of rēs (“thing, matter, topic”). Also, short for regarding, reply.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

prep

About, regarding, with reference to; used especially in letters, documents, emails and case law.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin rē, ablative of rēs (“thing, matter, topic”). Also, short for regarding, reply.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionrēla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "rē"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin rē"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "rē",
      "re#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "rēs",
      "res#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "regarding",
      "regarding#English"
    ],
    [
      "reply",
      "reply#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "prep",
      "glosses": [
        "About, regarding, with reference to; used especially in letters, documents, emails and case law."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A syllable used in solfège to represent the second note of a major scale.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Glover's solmization, from Middle English re (“second degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian re in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin resonāre (“made to resound”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionreenm
Derivation mentionreit
Derivation mentionresonārela · made to resound

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "re",
        "4": "",
        "5": "second degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English re (“second degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”)"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "it",
        "3": "re"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian re"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "resonāre",
        "t": "made to resound"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin resonāre (“made to resound”)"
    }
  ],
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      "solmization",
      "solmization"
    ],
    [
      "re",
      "re#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "re",
      "re#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "resonāre",
      "resonare#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A syllable used in solfège to represent the second note of a major scale."
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        "uncountable"
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Clipping of rematch. · Clipping of reinsurance, used in the branding of reinsurance company names. · Clipping of age regressor.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From the prefix re-.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "links": [
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of rematch.",
        "Clipping of reinsurance, used in the branding of reinsurance company names.",
        "Clipping of age regressor."
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for re →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-cmU