Reuses

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To employ an item on multiple occasions for either the same or a different function
2. To utilize a resource multiple times instead of simply discarding it
3. To put an object to use more than once instead of throwing it away

Etymology: "Reuses" is simply the third-person singular present form of the verb "reuse," so the history here is that of "reuse" itself. The verb is a plain compound: the prefix "re-," meaning "again," attached to "use." Both parts are old. "Use" came into English through Old French from Latin, while "re-" came through Latin as well, and the two were joined in English at a time when speakers felt free to add "re-" to nearly any verb to mean doing something once more. The result is about as transparent as English word-building gets. Someone who uses something again is reusing it, and the word carries no hidden twist of meaning. Its neatness is part of its story: it shows how a productive prefix let English speakers create new verbs on demand rather than waiting for borrowed vocabulary.

Synonyms: recycles, reclaims

Antonyms: discards