Reinscribe

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To write or engrave again on a surface ; to rephrase or reinterpret a text or idea by recording it anew ; to assert or reaffirm a concept by inscribing it once more
2. To inscribe repeatedly on a material ; to restate information or notions through fresh inscription ; to embed a message or meaning anew by writing it over again
3. To mark characters or symbols again onto an object ; to reproduce or modify a record or statement by writing it one more time ; to reinforce or re-establish a representation by adding another layer of inscription

Etymology: The verb "reinscribe" is a plain compound: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back", attached to "inscribe". "Inscribe" itself comes from Latin "inscribere", built from "in-" ("into" or "upon") and "scribere" ("to write"), so the whole word is literally "to write again into or upon something." The Latin "scribere" also gave English "scribe," "script" and "describe," all sharing that core idea of making marks. The prefix has a longer route than the base. Its ancestor reaches back through Proto-Italic, the reconstructed ancestor of Latin, where it was already a form meaning "back" or "again." It passed into English through Old French and Middle English, so "re-" was present in the language for centuries before anyone combined it with "inscribe."

Synonyms: rewrite, reengrave, re-engrave, recarve, reinscript