refuel
UK[ˌriːˈfjuːəl]US[ˌriːˈfjuːəl]
v
To fill something, especially a vehicle or aircraft, with fuel again.
v
To provide or receive new energy or motivation.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
fuel
re
again
fuel
combustible material
Etymology
The word 'refuel' is a modern English formation, directly combining the Latin-derived prefix 're-' with the noun 'fuel'. The base word 'fuel' entered Middle English from Anglo-French 'feuaile', which itself evolved from Vulgar Latin 'focalia', a derivative of Latin 'focus' meaning "hearth, fireplace". The semantic logic is transparent and mechanical: the prefix 're-' imposes the sense of repetition onto the action of supplying fuel. Thus, the compound literally means "to fuel again", a concept that became essential with the advent of engines requiring periodic replenishment of their energy source, and later extended metaphorically to mean renewing one's energy or drive.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + fuel (combustible material)
re: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
fuel: Old French origin (feu, "fire"), functioning as the base noun/verb for combustible material.
Examples
The aircraft had to land in Geneva to refuel.
We stopped at the next service station to refuel the car.
A short break and a good meal helped to refuel the tired hikers.