reuse

Etymology

It is formed from English re- + use, the verb from the verb use and the noun from the noun.^[2][3][4][5] The OED compares Anglo-Norman reuser, recorded before 1342, Spanish reusar (15th century) and Italian riusare (1745).^[2] The noun was formed after the verb.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To use something a second or further time: 1797, in T. E. Tomlins's revised edition of Jacob's Law-Dictionary.^[2][4] Etymonline dates the verb only to 1843 and the noun to 1850,^[3] and the Shorter Oxford dates both to the mid 19th century.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The noun, a second or further use, followed in 1838, in the Washington Extra Globe.^[2][4] Both words were also written re-use.^[3][5] The adjective reusable is recorded from the mid 20th century and the noun reusability from the late 20th century.^[5]

Timeline

• 1797 – verb, to use again.^[2][4]
• 1838 – noun, a further use.^[2][4]
• mid 20th century – reusable.^[5]
• late 20th century – reusability.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To use something again, or more than once, as a container or a piece of packaging: We reuse the jars for homemade jam.^[6][4][2]

Noun

1. The act of using something again; a second or further use: bottles collected for reuse.^[6][4][2]

Word family

• reusability
• reusable

Related words

• use
• usage
• re-

Usage notes

The verb ends in a /z/ sound and the noun in an /s/ sound, as with use.^[2][6]

References

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