Reemphasize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹiːˈɛmfəsʌɪz/

Definitions

1. To give special importance or stress to a point again to highlight it clearly
2. To restate or stress an idea once more to ensure it is noticed
3. To underline or reinforce something anew to make it stand out further

Etymology: "Reemphasize" is a plain formation: the prefix "re-", meaning "again", attached to "emphasize." There is no story of a coiner or a shifted meaning to tell, so the history is best given briefly. "Emphasize" traces back through Latin to Greek, where "emphasis" meant something shown or indicated, a sense that the English word kept for its original purpose of marking a point with stress. The word reached English through the same chain of borrowing that brought many academic terms into the language, and it carried the sense of pressing a point upon the listener's attention from the start. The prefix "re-" is the older and more widely used part of the word. Its meaning of "again" or "back" is what makes "reemphasize" a verb for stressing a point a second time, or stressing it once more so that it stands out clearly.

Synonyms: reiterate, stress again

Antonyms: downplay, minimize