Regrade

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To level or reshape the slope, elevation, or surface of land or a structure ; to reevaluate the quality or rank of a grade, score, or classification and assign a new rating
2. To alter the contour or elevation of terrain or a constructed surface ; to review and modify an existing grade or score based on additional information or criteria
3. To adjust the angle or height of ground or a built surface by cutting or filling ; to reconsider and change the assessment or classification of a grade, mark, or rating

Etymology: "Regrade" is about as plain as English word-building gets: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back," attached to "grade," which came into English from French and ultimately from Latin "gradus," a step. So the word is literally "to step again," or to put something back onto a slope or scale and measure it afresh. The verb has two senses that grew in parallel. In construction and landscaping, to regrade means to reshape ground by cutting away earth from high points and filling low ones, so that a surface meets a new level or slope. In education, business, and sport, it means to re-examine a score, rating, or classification and assign a new one. Both senses rest on the same image of a step or level being set again. The word's ancestry runs from Latin "re-" and "gradus" through Old French and Middle English before reaching modern English, where the combination with "re-" produced the verb.

Synonyms: reassess, re-evaluate, re-score