rejoinder
UK[rɪˈdʒɔɪn.dər]US[rɪˈdʒɔɪn.dər]
n
a reply, especially a sharp or witty one.
n
a defendant's answer to a plaintiff's replication in legal pleading.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
join
er
re
again
join
to join
er
agent suffix
Etymology
the word 'rejoinder' entered english in the early 15th century from anglo-french legal terminology, specifically as 'rejoindre', meaning 'to answer a charge, to reply'. its core components are distinctly latin: the prefix 're-' (again) attached to the verb 'iungere' (to join). the literal sense is 'to join back' or 'to reunite', which evolved into the legal and general sense of 'an answer that joins or meets a previous statement'. the '-er' suffix, common in english, nominalizes the action, turning it into 'a thing that joins back'—a reply. thus, the journey from the physical act of joining to the abstract, often pointed, verbal retort illustrates a classic semantic shift from concrete action to intellectual exchange.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + join (to join) + er (agent suffix)
re- (Latin prefix meaning 'again' or 'back'), join (from Old French 'joindre', ultimately from Latin 'iungere', meaning 'to join'), -er (agent suffix from Old English '-ere', indicating a person or thing that performs an action).
Examples
she delivered a clever rejoinder that left the entire room laughing.
the lawyer prepared a formal rejoinder to the opposition's argument.
his quick rejoinder to the criticism proved he was well-prepared for the debate.