re-route
UK[ˌriːˈruːt]US[ˌriːˈraʊt]
v
to send something along a different path or course than originally planned.
v
to change the route of a journey, vehicle, or data packet.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
route
re
again
route
path
Etymology
The word "reroute" is a modern English compound formed by combining the productive Latin prefix "re-" with the noun "route." The prefix "re-," meaning "again," is a direct borrowing from Latin, where it was a common adverbial and prepositional element. The base word "route" entered English via Old French rute, which itself derived from the Latin phrase via rupta, literally "a broken or beaten way," referring to a path cleared through a wilderness. The logic of "reroute" is transparently modern: to take an established path (route) and cause it to happen again or anew (re-), effectively meaning to assign a different course. This construction follows a common pattern in English where Latin prefixes are attached to words of French or Latin origin to create new verbs indicating a change of state or action.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + route (path)
- re: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "again, back, anew." Its functional role is to indicate repetition or reversal.
- route: Old French origin (from Latin rupta via, "broken way"), functioning as the base noun meaning a course or path taken.
Examples
Due to the accident, traffic was rerouted through the city center.
The airline had to reroute the flight to avoid the storm.
Network administrators can reroute data to balance the server load.