Redefine

How to spell redefine

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce redefine

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does redefine mean?

1. verbTo define something again or differently, changing its established meaning, scope, or nature.

Redefine in a sentence

• The new manager wants to redefine each person's responsibilities.

• The company hopes the launch will redefine what customers expect from the brand.

Where does redefine come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on 'define', which English took during the late 1300s from the Old French 'definer', itself descended from the Latin verb 'definire'. That Latin verb combined the prefix 'de-', meaning 'down' or 'completely', with 'finire', meaning 'to set a limit', which grew from the noun 'finis', meaning 'boundary' or 'end'. So to define something was literally to mark out its boundaries, to say where it ends. The same 'finis' root sits inside everyday relatives such as 'finish', 'final', and 'finite', and the spelling keeps that single root 'fin' clearly visible. The prefix 're-', meaning 'again', was attached much later in English to give the modern sense of fixing the boundaries of something afresh; the word became common only in the twentieth century as people spoke of redefining roles, success, and ideas.

How the word is built

• re- (again)
• de- (from)
• fin (boundary, limit)
• -e