Rehung

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To attach again after being removed or displaced
2. to adjust the position of something that has been previously hung
3. to replace an item in its original place following dismounting

Etymology: "Rehung" is the past tense and past participle of "rehang," so it means "hung again," as in a door rehung on new hinges or a painting rehung after a wall was repainted. The verb is formed by attaching the prefix "re-," meaning "again" or "back," to "hang," which is an older English word. The prefix itself has a long lineage: it traces back to the Latin "re-," which came into English by way of Old French and Middle English. Because "re-" is so productive, English speakers can attach it to almost any verb to signal repetition or restoration, and "rehang" follows that pattern exactly. The result is a straightforward compound with no surprising shift in meaning, so its story is simply that of its two parts: a very old verb for suspending something, and a very common prefix for doing it once more.

Synonyms: replaced, retaken