Etymologically
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reusable

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 03:30. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˌriːˈjuːzəb(ə)l/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English re- + usable,[2][3] after the verb reuse,[3] while Merriam-Webster takes it as reuse with the suffix -able.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Able to be used again; fit for a second or further use: 1877, in a report of the British Association of Gas Managers.[3] Merriam-Webster also dates the word to 1877.[4] The 1989 edition of the OED recorded it only from 1959,[6] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate from 1943,[7] and Etymonline from 1922, noting that non-reusable is attested from 1905.[2]

Timeline

  • 1877 – able to be used again.[3][4] The 1989 edition of the OED dated it only to 1959,[6] and Etymonline to 1922.[2]
  • 1905 – the negative non-reusable.[2]
  • 1970 – the noun reusability, in the 1989 edition of the OED.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Able to be used again or many times, rather than thrown away after one use: reusable shopping bags.[8][4][3]

Word family

  • reusability
  • nonreusable

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
  6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins