Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “retry” come from?

Retry comes from Middle English re- prefixed to try, which derives from Old French re- and Latin re- (meaning "again"), combined with Latin tritus (worn, rubbed), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- (to turn or wear).

retry (English): To try or attempt again; To try judicially a...

Definitions

  1. To try or attempt again; To try judicially a...

Ancestry of “retry”, 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 “retry”

  • retriable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →