Restring

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To replace or install new strings on a musical instrument or similar object to restore function or sound
2. The act of fitting fresh cords or threads onto an item such as a guitar or tennis racket to renew its performance
3. The process of adjusting or changing the strings on a device to maintain or enhance its quality and playability

Etymology: "Restring" is a plain compound: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back," attached to "string." The verb means to fit new strings to an instrument, such as a guitar, violin or tennis racket, so that it works properly again. The prefix has a long pedigree. It comes from Latin "re-", which in turn descends from an ancient Italic root, and it passed into English through Old French and Middle English. Its sense of repetition or restoration is the same one found in words like "rebuild" and "reheat," which is why "restring" needs no special explanation: it means exactly what its parts say. The base word "string" is much older in English than the prefix's Latin route suggests, since it comes from Old English "streng," meaning a cord or band. The verb built on it, to restring, follows the same pattern as the many other "re-" verbs that English has produced freely over the centuries.

Synonyms: restrung, string again, reset, rewire, rethread