Redealing

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

  1. The act of distributing or dealing cards again during a game ; the process of reshuffling and giving out cards for a new round ; performing a new deal of cards after an initial distribution has occurred
  2. Repeating the distribution of playing cards to players after the first deal ; the action of rearranging and dealing cards once more in card games ; giving out cards anew following a previous dealing instance
  3. The procedure of sharing cards again among participants in a card game ; the reallocation or second dealing of cards after a prior deal ; dealing cards once more typically due to an error or at the start of a fresh hand

Etymology: The root of this word lies in the verb "deal," which originally meant to distribute or hand out, especially cards in a game. This sense dates back to the late 14th century, coming from the Old English "dælian," which means "to divide, distribute." The prefix "re-" is a common English element derived from Latin, signifying repetition or doing something again. When combined, they form the idea of distributing cards once more, often after an initial deal was found unsatisfactory. The noun form naturally follows from the verb: the act or instance of shuffling and handing out cards anew. The verb form simply implies the action of repeating the deal. This construction aligns with many English verbs and nouns formed by adding "re-" to an existing action, indicating a second or subsequent occurrence. While the term is straightforward in card games, its formation highlights a typical pattern in English word formation: a base verb combined with a Latin-derived prefix to express repetition. It entered English in the modern era, likely becoming common alongside the rise of card games in the 17th and 18th centuries, when new jargon emerged to describe aspects of gameplay. Though it has a specific use in gaming contexts, the word's structure mirrors countless similar terms where "re-" signals repetition, making its meaning intuitively clear to English speakers familiar with the prefix's function.

Synonyms: reshuffling, rearranging, redistributing, reordering, reassigning

Antonyms: dealing, distributing, allocating