Repay

How to spell repay

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce repay

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does repay mean?

1. verbTo pay back money that is owed, or to return a kindness or favour.

Repay in a sentence

• She promised to repay the loan within six months.

• A small bonus is one way to repay years of loyal service.

Where does repay come from?

Language of origin: French

This verb came into English in the late 1300s from the Old French word repaier, which simply joined the prefix re-, meaning 'back' or 'in return', to payer, meaning 'to pay'. That French verb payer descends from the Latin pacare, which literally meant 'to pacify' or 'to appease', a sense that grew naturally out of pax, the Latin word for 'peace'. The link makes a kind of sense: settling a debt was originally thought of as making peace with a creditor, calming the matter by handing over what was owed. Over time the peacemaking idea faded and the plain financial meaning of paying money back took over, later widening to cover returning any kindness or favour. The spelling is mercifully transparent, with the familiar word 'pay' kept whole and simply preceded by 're-'.

How the word is built

• re- (back, in return)
• pay (to give money owed)