redesign

Etymology

It is formed from English re- (“again”) + design.^[2][3][4] The noun is a conversion of the verb, on the model of the noun design.^[2][3] Design is ultimately from Latin dēsignō (“to mark out, point out”), from dē- and signō (“to mark”), from signum (“sign, mark”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To design again or differently: before 1807, in John Opie's Lectures on Painting (published 1809).^[2][4] Etymonline dates the verb only from 1843.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The noun, the act of designing something again or the new design that results, follows in 1881, in the Manufacturer and Builder.^[2][3] The Historical Thesaurus places the verb both among the words for decorating with artistic skill and among those for planning.^[5] Merriam-Webster defines it broadly as revising something in appearance, function or content.^[4]

Timeline

• before 1807 – verb, to design again or differently.^[2][4]
• 1843 – the verb according to Etymonline.^[3]
• 1881 – noun, a new or revised design.^[2][3]

Meanings

Verb

1. To change the design of something, revising its look, function or content: The council redesigned the town square.^[6][4][2]

Noun

1. The act of designing something again.^[4][2]
2. Something that has been redesigned; a new design.^[6][2]

Related words

• design
• designate
• sign

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins