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redefine

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Etymology and origin of the English word redefine

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1848 E. Forbes, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain
Ultimate origins
English re-Anglo-Norman definer
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin definio
English define
English redefine
From the same root
Latin definitivus ← definio
Latin definitus ← definio

Pronunciation

  • /ˌriːdɪˈfaɪn/, /ˌriːdəˈfaɪn/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English re- + define.[2][3][4] The OED compares French redéfinir, recorded from 1798.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To define again or differently: 1848, in E. Forbes's contribution to the Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain.[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Besides defining a term anew, Merriam-Webster records the senses of reconsidering something with a view to changing it, and of transforming it.[4] The noun redefinition followed in 1857.[2]

Timeline

  • 1848 – to define again or differently.[2][4][3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To define a word or concept again or in a different way: The committee redefined the term to include part-time staff.[5][4][2]
  2. To reconsider or reassess something with a view to changing it; to transform it: The new player redefined the role of the goalkeeper.[4]

Word family

  • redefinition

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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 c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Redefine.” Etymologically, 2 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/redefine. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·