Requalify

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To restore the necessary qualifications or credentials previously held, to make improvements to skills or credentials for a specific role, and to regain eligibility for particular standards or roles in a given field
2. To regain a certification or credential previously earned to continue in a profession or role
3. To successfully pass necessary evaluations to restore eligibility for an official status or function

Etymology: "Requalify" is a plain formation: the prefix "re-", meaning "again," attached to "qualify." The verb "qualify" itself has a longer road. It traces back through Latin "qualis," meaning "of what kind," to Latin "qualificare," to make or describe as being of a certain sort, and passed into English through Old French and Middle English. Its core sense has always been about fitness: a person qualifies when they meet the conditions required for something. Adding "re-" produces a word for the recurring version of that fitness test. Someone who lost a license, certification, or official standing must qualify again, and "requalify" names exactly that process. Its meaning is therefore literal, not metaphorical: it repeats the qualifying step rather than adding a new idea.

Synonyms: reclassify, recertify