Rerolling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Throwing the dice or drawing a random outcome a second time after the first result has been set aside
2. Making another attempt at a random roll in a game, discarding the earlier result and accepting the new one
3. Casting again for a fresh random outcome, usually because the first result was unfavorable or a rule allows it

Etymology: "Reroll" is a compound of the prefix "re-", meaning "again", and "roll", so "rerolling" is simply the act of rolling again. The root "roll" traces back through Middle English "rollen" to Old French "roeler" and Latin "rotulare", meaning to make something round or to turn it over, and ultimately to Latin "rota", meaning wheel. The same wheel image runs through the whole family, from the rolling of a die to the rolling of a barrel. The prefix "re-" is itself an old Latin element that English inherited through Old French and attached freely to verbs, so "rerolling" follows the same pattern as "reading" or "rebuilding". Its sense is the ordinary one of repeating an action, which is what makes the word fit so naturally with dice.

Synonyms: re-roll, rethrow