replace

ree-PLAYSS · verb

Origin

Replace is built from re-, a prefix meaning "again" or "back," and place. The two were simply joined in English to make a new verb.

This is Curio: one word's origin story, every morning. No feed, no backlog.

One short email each morning. Free; stop anytime. See a sample →

It was made in English from re- plus place, combining "again" with "place" straightforwardly.

It shares its re- prefix with countless other English words built the same way.

From Proto-Italic

Nearby, A–Z