re-entry
Meaning
the act of entering a place or joining an activity again after being away from it
the return of a spacecraft or missile into the earth's atmosphere
Structure
Usage
The company facilitated her smooth re-entry into the workforce after her career break.
The spacecraft's heat shield is designed to withstand the intense temperatures of atmospheric re-entry.
His re-entry into politics after a decade surprised many of his former colleagues.
Etymology
The word 're-entry' is a modern English compound formed by combining the productive Latin prefix 're-' with the noun 'entry'. The prefix 're-', with its core meaning of "back" or "again", has been a versatile component in English since its adoption from Latin, often used to indicate repetition. 'Entry' entered English via Anglo-French from the Latin verb 'intrare', meaning to go into. The fusion of these elements creates a transparent, logical term for the concept of entering again, a meaning which was first broadly applied before being specifically adopted in the mid-20th century to describe the critical phase of a spacecraft's return into the atmosphere.
Analysis
re- is a prefix of Latin origin meaning "again" or "back". entry is a noun of Anglo-French origin, from the verb 'enter', which itself comes from Latin 'intrare' (to go into).