Rejiggering

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of changing or rearranging elements in a new or different way
2. Modifying or adjusting an arrangement or plan to improve or alter it
3. The process of reorganizing parts or aspects to achieve a different configuration

Etymology: "Jigger" is one of those English words that can name almost anything small: a measuring cup for spirits, a tool, a mechanical part, or a flea. Its precise origin is murky, so the safest thing to say is that "jigger" is an older English word, and "rejiggering" is built on it by adding the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "anew." To rejigger something is to take it apart in your mind or hands and set its parts up again differently. The prefix does most of the work here. "Re-" attaches to many verbs in English to mean doing something once more, or doing it differently, so "rejigger" carries the sense of re-arranging an existing arrangement rather than making something new from scratch. The "-ing" ending then turns the verb into a participle or gerund, which is why the word can name the ongoing act itself, as in "the rejiggering of the schedule took all afternoon."

Synonyms: rearrangement, reconfiguration