Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rewrite” come from?

Rewrite comes from Middle English re- prefixed to write, with the prefix deriving from Old French re-, Latin re-, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European wer-.

rewrite (English): The act of writing again or anew; Something that...

Definitions

  1. The act of writing again or anew; Something that...

Ancestry of “rewrite”, 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 “rewrite”

  • rewritable
  • rewriter
  • rewriteman
  • rewritability
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →