Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “replace” come from?

Replace derives from Middle English re- prefixed to Old French place, which comes from Latin re- combined with Latin place, ultimately tracing through Ancient Greek πλατύς and Proto-Indo-European plat- to the root pelh₂-.

replace (English): To restore to a former place, position,...

Definitions

  1. To restore to a former place, position,...

Ancestry of “replace”, 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 “replace”

  • replacement
  • irreplaceable
  • replaceable
  • replacer
  • irreplaceability
  • replaceability
  • irreplaceably
  • replacive
  • unreplaceable
  • nonreplaceable
  • subreplacement
  • overreplacement
  • irreplaceableness
  • replaceth
  • replacee
  • replacest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →