Rechannel

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To change the direction of a flow, signal, or resource from one channel to another
2. The act of diverting something such as water, electricity, or information into a different route or path
3. Altering the course or transmission path of a stream, broadcast, or resource for a new purpose

Etymology: The verb "rechannel" is a plain formation: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back," attached to "channel." Its meaning follows directly from the parts, so it reads as "to channel again" or, more usefully, "to send something back through a different channel." The "channel" half has a longer history. It descends from Latin "canalis," a conduit or water pipe, which came into Old French as "chanel" and was taken into Middle English in the sense of a watercourse or a passage for liquid. The "re-" prefix reaches English along the same chain, through Latin "re-" and Old French "re-," which both carry the same sense of repetition or reversal. The Proto-Italic root behind that prefix is far older than either language, but it adds little to what the word means today. Because both halves were already English by the time they were joined, "rechannel" is a transparent compound rather than a borrowed term. Its meaning is set by the parts it contains: a flow, a signal, or a resource is redirected from one conduit to another.

Synonyms: redirect, divert