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reconnect

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Etymology and origin of the English word reconnect

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1700 John Sergeant, Transnatural Philosophy
Ultimate origins
English re-Latin conecto
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin conecto
English connect
English reconnect
From the same root
Latin conexio ← conecto
Latin conexus ← conecto
English connector ← connect
English disconnect ← connect

Pronunciation

  • /ˌɹiː.kəˈnɛkt/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English re- + connect, "again" + "to connect".[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To connect again: 1700, in John Sergeant's Transnatural Philosophy;[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1752.[3]

Semantic evolution

Besides the literal sense, used of things and of people,[2][5] a sense that began in North America, to renew a relationship with someone, is recorded from 1934.[2]

Timeline

  • 1700 – to connect again.[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1752.[3]
  • 1934 – to renew a relationship with a person, originally in North America.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To connect or link together again, or to become connected again: The engineer reconnected the cable.[5][4][2]
  2. To renew or revive a relationship with someone: They reconnected at a school reunion.[2]

Word family

  • reconnection

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Reconnect.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/reconnect. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·