Redefining

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of changing the meaning or interpretation of a word, concept, or idea
2. Altering the understanding or definition previously assigned to a term or subject
3. Reinterpreting or modifying the established sense of a concept or expression

Etymology: "Redefining" is the present participle of "redefine," a verb built from the prefix "re-," meaning "again" or "back," and "define," which comes from Latin "definire," meaning "to limit" or "to set boundaries." Its literal sense is therefore to mark out a boundary a second time, which is close to what it still means: to give something a new set of limits or a new meaning. The "define" half carries that older spatial sense. The Latin root combines "de-," "down" or "completely," with "finire," "to end" or "to bound," which is also the source of "finish" and "finite." To define a thing was originally to fix its edges, and only later did the word come to mean stating what something signifies. Redefining therefore preserves both parts: the boundary and the meaning inside it.

Synonyms: revising, reinterpreting, reconceptualizing