Remarrying

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of forming a new marital union after having been previously married and separated from a spouse
2. The act of engaging in a second or subsequent marriage after the end of a former one
3. The act of entering into another marriage following the dissolution of a previous one

Etymology: "Remarrying" is the present participle of "remarry", which is itself a simple combination: the prefix "re-", meaning "again", attached to "marry". The prefix comes into English through Old French from Latin "re-", and "marry" has a longer past, arriving from Old French "marier" and ultimately from Latin "maritare", "to wed", a verb built on "maritus", "husband" or "married man". So the word says, quite literally, "to marry again". Nothing about the construction is hidden: the two parts have kept their original meanings since they were joined. The prefix "re-" is one of the most productive in English, which is why it can be attached to so many verbs, such as "rebuild" or "reread", without any change in sense. What makes "remarry" distinct is that "marry" is one of the older verbs in the group, so the compound took shape in the late Middle English period, once "re-" was no longer a foreign borrowing in everyday speech.

Synonyms: re-wedding, reunion, nuptials, spousal renewal, second marriage