Redyeing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To apply a new dye to something that has already been dyed
2. to change the color of fabric or material by applying dye again
3. the process of restoring or altering the hue of previously dyed items

Etymology: "Redyeing" is the present participle and gerund of "redye," a straightforward formation: the prefix "re-," meaning again or back, attached to "dye." The verb "dye" comes from Old English "deagian," and "redye" simply means to dye something a second time or to change its colour by dyeing it anew. The prefix traces through Latin "re-" and reaches English by way of Old French "re-," which is why the same sense of repetition appears in so many words borrowed from French, from "redo" to "reread." Because the word is built transparently from two familiar parts, there is no hidden story to uncover: the sense of "again" in the prefix and the sense of "colouring cloth or fibre" in "dye" combine directly into the meaning of the process. Its meaning has stayed close to that original combination, applied to clothes, fabric and yarn that are returned to the dye bath to be restored or changed in shade.