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replace

Etymology and origin of the English word replace

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1587
Ultimate origins
English (re-)Old French (place)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English place
English replace

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /rɪˈpleɪs/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English re- + place,[2][3][4] “to place back again”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

“To restore to a previous place, put back”: 1587 in Merriam-Webster Unabridged,[4] 1595 in the OED,[5] the 1590s in Etymonline.[2]

Semantic evolution

“To take the place of, become a substitute for” is from 1753,[2][5] the 18th century in Hoad,[3] and “to fill the place of with a substitute” from 1765.[2][5] To provide a substitute or equivalent is from 1796,[5] and to pay back or return from 1776, rare.[5] The adjective, designed to replace something worn out, is from 1927.[5]

Timeline

  • 1587 – to put back.[4]
  • 1753 – to take the place of.[2][5]
  • 1765 – to fill with a substitute.[2][5]
  • 1796 – to provide an equivalent.[5]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To take or fill the place of: computers replaced typewriters.
  2. To provide a substitute for: replace a broken window.
  3. To put back in a former place or position.
  4. To pay back; to refund.

Word family

  • replaceable
  • replacer
  • replaceability
  • unreplaced
  • replacement
  • place
  • displace
  • supplant
  • supersede

Usage notes

The American Heritage compares replace, supplant and supersede: to replace is to provide an equivalent for something lost, worn out or dismissed, while supplant often suggests intrigue or force.[6]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Replace.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/replace. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·