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Etymology and origin of the English word rethink

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1509 H. Watson's translation of Brant's Shyppe of Fooles
Ultimate origin
English re-,think

Pronunciation

  • /ɹiːˈθɪŋk/, /ˈɹiːθɪŋk/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English re- (“again”) + think,[2][3][4][5][6] and the OED compares French repenser, recorded in Old French from the 12th century.[2] The noun is from the verb.[2][6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To think again or further, intransitive: 1509, in H. Watson's translation of Brant's Shyppe of Fooles.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The OED's revised entry (2010) takes the word back to 1509 and the transitive use, to reconsider a situation or course of action, to 1656;[2] older dictionaries date it much later: Etymonline to 1700, with the intransitive use by 1748,[3] Dictionary.com to 1690–1700[5] and the Shorter Oxford to the mid 18th century.[6] In later use it has come to mean especially reconsidering with a view to change or improvement.[2][7] The noun, a reassessment, is recorded from 1958, in the Times Literary Supplement.[2][4][6]

Timeline

  • 1509 – intransitive, to think again or further.[2][4]
  • 1656 – transitive, to reconsider something.[2]
  • 1700 – first record in Etymonline.[3]
  • 1958 – noun, an act of rethinking.[2][4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To think again about something, especially in order to change it or one's mind; to reconsider: The council will have to rethink its plans for the park.[7][2][4]

Noun

  1. An act of rethinking; a reassessment, often one that leads to change.[7][2][4]

Word family

  • rethinker
  • think

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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 g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Rethink.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/rethink. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·