Retrofitting

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of enhancing older systems by integrating contemporary technology or features
2. A process that involves updating existing structures with additional components to boost efficiency and functionality
3. The process of adding modern technology or features to existing systems that were originally built without them

Etymology: In its older sense, "fit" meant "to equip or supply," not "to be the right size." So to retrofit something is, at root, to equip it backward, after it has already been made. The prefix is the Latin-derived "retro-," meaning "back" or "backward," the same element found in "retrospect" and "retroactive." Its meaning is not the one people now associate with the prefix in "retro" style, which came later. The noun was attested after the verb, and it may have come from the verb or from "retro-" plus an older noun "fit," meaning "the act of fitting" or "the conformity of parts to one another." Either way, the core idea stays the same: adding parts to something that was built without them.

Synonyms: upgrading, modifying