Repeat

How to spell repeat

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce repeat

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does repeat mean?

1. verbTo say or do something again.
2. nounSomething that happens or is broadcast again, such as a rerun of a programme.

Repeat in a sentence

• verb

  Please repeat the instructions so everyone understands the task.

• noun

  The channel showed a repeat of last week's match instead of new coverage.

• verb

  The teacher had to repeat the question for the students at the back.

• noun

  The manager wanted to avoid a repeat of last year's budget mistakes.

Where does repeat come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin repetere, which combined re- meaning 'again' with petere meaning 'to seek, aim at, or attack'. The literal sense was therefore 'to seek again' or 'to go back to', which over time settled into the idea of doing or saying something once more. English took it in during the late 1300s through Old French repeter, where it already carried the modern meaning. The petere root is surprisingly busy elsewhere in English: it also gives us 'petition' (a seeking), 'appetite' (a reaching toward), and 'compete' (to seek together). Knowing the 'peat' part really comes from petere, not from any sound spelling, helps fix the single 'e' in the middle and the plain '-eat' ending.

How the word is built

• re- (again)
• peat (from Latin petere: to seek, aim at)