Reconfigure

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To change the arrangement or settings of a system or device to serve a different purpose or function better
2. To modify the arrangement or structure of an object or system for improved functionality or to suit a specific need better
3. To alter the setup or design of a system or device in order to enhance its performance or to fulfill a particular requirement effectively

Etymology: The prefix "re-" is the straightforward part: it means "again" or "back," and English has attached it to countless verbs. The base, "configure," arrived in English earlier, through a chain that runs from Latin "configurare," meaning to shape or fashion together, and was built from "con-" (together) and "figurare" (to form, from "figura," shape). The earlier stages of the chain, from the Latin prefix "re-" passing through Old French, show how this prefix travelled into English before being combined with "configure." "Reconfigure" is therefore a simple compound: "re-" plus "configure," meaning to shape something again. Its sense has narrowed over time to the technical world of computers, devices and systems, where changing a setup to improve performance is routine.

Synonyms: rearrange, reorganize, modify

Antonyms: configure, set