Resize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To change the size of an object or image without distorting its original aspect ratio
2. To modify the measurements of an item, adjusting its width and height while maintaining its proportions
3. Changing an object's scale by increasing or decreasing its size uniformly to fit a desired specification

Etymology: "Resize" is a straightforward formation: the prefix "re-", meaning again or anew, attached to "size". The verb "size" came into English through Old French from Latin, and to resize an object is to give it a new size, which is exactly what the prefix suggests. The prefix itself has a longer pedigree than the word. "Re-" descends from Latin "re-", a form that traces back to a very old root shared across Italic languages, and it reached English by way of Old French before taking its place as one of the most productive prefixes in the language. Once English speakers had "size" for measuring and adjusting dimensions, adding "re-" was an easy step, and the verb has been used this way ever since.

Synonyms: adjust, alter, modify, change, scale

Antonyms: fix, stabilize, maintain, preserve, retain