Resoles

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Replaces the worn bottom layer of a shoe or boot with a fresh sole so it can be worn again
2. Puts a new sole on a footwear item that has become worn through use, extending its life
3. Fits a replacement outer sole to a pair of shoes, typically after the original has been damaged

Etymology: "Resoles" is the third-person singular form of "resole," meaning to fit a new sole to a shoe. The verb is built from the prefix "re-," meaning again, and the noun "sole," the underside of a shoe, which English has used since Middle English. Re- itself came into English through Old French from Latin, where the prefix carried the same sense of repetition or return. The prefix has a long pedigree. Its ancestor is traced back to a Proto-Italic form, which passed into Latin as "re-" and then into Old French as "re-" before English borrowed it. English speakers then attached it to existing words freely, so "resole" is a transparent compound: a shoe that has been re-soled has simply had its sole replaced once more.

Synonyms: repair, mend, refurbish

Antonyms: damage, break