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Origin and history of re

re

"with reference to," used from c. 1700 in legalese, from Latin (in) re "in the matter of," from ablative of res "property, goods; matter, thing, affair." Its non-legalese use is execrated by Fowler in three different sections of "Modern English Usage."

The Latin word is reconstructed to be from Proto-Italic *re-, from PIE *reh-i- "wealth, goods" (source also of Sanskrit rayi- "property, goods," Avestan raii-i- "wealth").

also from c. 1700

Entries linking to re

in medias res

Latin, literally "in the midst of things," from medias, accusative fem. plural of medius "middle" (see medial (adj.)) + accusative plural of res "a thing" (see re). From Horace, in reference to narrative technique:

Semper ad eventum festinat, et in medias res,
Non secus ac notas auditorem rapit (etc.)
rebus(n.)

puzzle or riddle consisting of pictures of objects, the names of which sound like the words or phrase intended, c. 1600, apparently from Latin rebus (and meaning literally "by means of objects"), ablative plural of res "thing, object" (see re).

According to French sources (Gilles Ménage, "Les origines de la langue françoise," 1650), it is principally from the phrase de rebus quæ geruntur "of things which are going on," in reference to the satirical pieces composed by Picardy clerks at carnivals, subtle satires of current events consisting of pictures used to suggest words, phrases, or things. Or this use of the Latin word might be from the representations being non verbis sed rebus "not by words, but by things."

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republic
"state in which supreme or executive power rests in the people via representatives chosen by citizens entitled to vote," c. 1600, from French république (15c.), from Latin respublica (ablative republica) "the common weal, a commonwealth, state, republic," literally res publica "p
ray
"beam of light, light emitted in a given direction from a luminous body," early 14c., rai, from Old French rai (nominative rais) "ray (of the sun), spoke (of a wheel); gush, spurt," from Latin radius "ray, spoke, staff, rod" (see radius). Not common before 17c. [OED]; of the sun,
reinforce
also re-enforce, "add new force, strength, or weight to," c. 1600, originally in military sense, from re- "again" + inforce..., variant of enforce "drive by physical force; fortify, strengthen" (compare re-enforce, and see en- (1))....For that sense re-enforce should be used. [Fowler]...
rally
into order again by urgent effort," c. 1600, from French rallier, from Old French ralier "reassemble, unite again," from re...- "again" (see re-) + alier "unite" (see ally (v.))....In Old French (and Italian), re- often appeared as ra- by confusion with the true ra- (from Latin re- + ad-), and the following...But as ra- was not recognized in English as a prefix, words with ra- in Old French usually returned to re- in English; Rally...
refund
refondre "restore" and directly from Latin refundere "give back, restore, return," literally "pour back, flow back," from re...- "back" (see re-) + fundere "to pour" (from nasalized form of PIE root *gheu- "to pour")....Century Dictionary speculates that Old French refounder in the sense "restore" was confused with refonder, refunder, "re-establish...
repose
"to put, place," mid-15c., reposen, "to put (something) back;" perhaps from re- "back, again" + pose (v.) or so formed in...Latin repos-, infinitive stem of reponere "put back, set back, replace, restore; put away, lay out, stretch out," from re...
derelict
to abandon, forsake, desert," from de- "entirely" (see de-) + relinquere "leave behind, forsake, abandon, give up," from re...- "back" (see re-) + linquere "to leave," from PIE root *leikw- "to leave."...
metal
an undecomposable elementary substance having certain recognizable qualities (opacity, conductivity, plasticity, high specific gravity, etc.), mid-13c., from Old French metal "metal; material, substance, stuff" (12c.), from Latin metallum "metal, mineral; mine, quarry," from Gree
atomic
"pertaining to atoms," 1670s as a philosophical term (see atomistic); scientific sense dates from 1811, from atom + -ic. Atomic number is attested from 1821; atomic mass is from 1848. Atomic energy is recorded by 1906 in the modern sense (as intra-atomic energy from 1903). March
number
c. 1300, "sum, aggregate of a collection," from Anglo-French noumbre, Old French nombre and directly from Latin numerus "a number, quantity," from PIE root *nem- "assign, allot; take." The meaning "written symbol or figure of arithmetic value" is from late 14c. The meaning "singl

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