reimbursement
UK[ˌriːɪmˈbɜːsmənt]US[ˌriːɪmˈbɜːrsmənt]
n
the act of paying back money to someone who has spent it or lost it
n
an amount of money that is paid back to someone
Morpheme Breakdown
re
im
burse
ment
re
again
im
in, into
burse
purse, money
ment
noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'reimbursement' has a transparent financial logic embedded in its latin and french components. it originates from the obsolete french verb 'reimbourser', which itself was formed from the prefix 're-' (again) and 'embourser' (to put in a purse, from 'en-' + 'bourse' purse). the french 'bourse' derives from latin 'bursa', meaning a leather bag or purse, a borrowing from greek 'bursa' (hide, wineskin). the core concept is literally 'to put back into the purse'. the english word adopted this formation and added the noun-forming suffix '-ment', common in words of french origin, to create a term for the act or result of repaying expended funds, perfectly capturing the action of restoring money to its source.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + im (in, into) + burse (purse, money) + ment (noun suffix)
re- (latin prefix, meaning 'again'); im- (latin variant of 'in-', meaning 'in, into'); burse (from latin 'bursa', meaning 'purse, bag'); -ment (latin suffix via french, forming nouns denoting an action or resulting state).
Examples
you will receive full reimbursement for any travel expenses incurred.
please submit your receipts to the accounts department for reimbursement.
the company's reimbursement policy covers both meals and accommodation.