Readjustment

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of making changes to something after an initial adjustment to improve or correct it
2. A further modification or fine-tuning done to better suit new conditions or requirements
3. Repeating the act of alteration to restore proper function or fit according to changed circumstances

Etymology: The prefix "re-" here simply means "again," and the word it attaches to has a longer story than it first appears. "Readjustment" is formed from "re-" and "adjustment," so its meaning is a second round of setting something right. The base word "adjust" came into English from French "ajuster," which was built on "juste," meaning "just" or "right," a descendant of Latin "iustus," meaning "just" or "lawful." The same Latin root gives English "justice" and "justify." Adjusting, then, was originally about making something fair or exact, and the "adjustment" suffix, borrowed through Old French from Latin "-mentum," turns the action into a noun for its result. Because "re-" is so productive, English speakers can attach it to almost any verb of this kind, which is why "readjustment" needed no special coinage. It is a plain English compound, built from parts that had long been in use before the combined word appeared.

Synonyms: modification, recalibration, alteration, adaptation, rearrangement

Antonyms: stability, unchanging, consistency