redistribute
UK[ˌriːdɪˈstrɪbjuːt]US[ˌriːdɪˈstrɪbjuːt]
v
to share something out in a different way from before
v
to spread something over a different area
Morpheme Breakdown
re
dis
tribute
re
again
dis
apart
tribute
to assign
Etymology
the word 'redistribute' is built upon the latin verb 'tribuere', meaning to grant or assign, which itself may be connected to 'tribus', referring to a division of the roman people. the prefix 'dis-' was added to form 'distribute', meaning to give out or allot portions. finally, the prefix 're-' was attached, indicating the action is done again or anew. thus, the literal progression from "to assign" to "to assign apart" and finally to "to assign apart again" logically leads to the modern abstract meaning of reallocating or sharing something out in a new way.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + dis (apart) + tribute (to assign)
- re: latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
- dis: latin origin, a prefix meaning "apart", "asunder", or having a reversing force.
- tribute: from latin 'tribuere', meaning "to assign, grant, pay". it functions as the core root meaning "to give or allot".
Examples
the government plans to redistribute wealth through progressive taxation.
after the merger, management had to redistribute job responsibilities among the staff.
the software can automatically redistribute the workload across all available servers.