Reseals

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To apply a seal anew in order to ensure the closure remains intact; to reinforce a previous seal, thus enhancing the security of an item; to restore the effectiveness of a seal on a container or object that was once sealed
2. To close something again using a sealing method to maintain protection or freshness
3. To reapply a sealing material or device to an item to secure its contents once more

Etymology: "Reseals" is the third-person singular present form of "reseal," so the story belongs to the verb itself, which is built from the prefix "re-" and the word "seal." The prefix "re-" means "again" and comes into English through Old French, which took it from Latin, where "re-" carried the same sense of repetition or return. The base word "seal" has a longer journey: it descends from Latin "sigillum," meaning a small image or signet, which English borrowed through Anglo-Norman "seel" and which Middle English then shortened to "sel" before it became the modern "seal." Put together, "reseal" simply means to seal something a second time. Its meaning follows the everyday action of pressing a stamp or signet into wax or closing a container that has been opened, so reopening and closing a package or jar and then sealing it again gives the word its practical sense of restoring protection or freshness.

Synonyms: reclose, seal again

Antonyms: unseal, open