Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rename” come from?

Rename comes from Middle English re- combined with a verb stem, derived from Old French re-, from Latin re- meaning "again," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots indicating repetition and verbal action.

rename (English): To give a new name to; An instance of renaming

Definitions

  1. To give a new name to; An instance of renaming

Ancestry of “rename”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishre-again, anew; a completive or intensification of...
2Middle Englishre-—
3Old Frenchre-re-
4Latinrĕ-—
5Latinprōdūcō—
6Latinprō-—
7Proto-Italic*pro-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “rename”

  • renamable
  • renamer
  • unrenamable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →