remainder
Meaning
the part of something that is left after the other parts have gone, been used, or been taken away
the number that is left over in a division problem when one number does not divide exactly into another
to sell a book at a reduced price because it has not sold well
Structure
Usage
she ate the remainder of the cake.
when 10 is divided by 3, the remainder is 1.
the publisher decided to remainder the unsold copies of the old edition.
Etymology
the word "remainder" originates from the latin verb 'remanere', meaning "to stay behind". this verb is composed of the prefix 're-' (back, again) and 'manere' (to stay). it entered middle english via the old french noun 'remaindre', which referred to what is left over. the core semantic logic has remained remarkably consistent: from the literal act of staying back, the word evolved to denote the abstract concept of a leftover portion, whether in physical objects, mathematical operations, or commercial stock. the '-der' suffix solidified its role as a noun describing the result of the action of remaining.
Analysis
- re: latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back". - main: from latin 'manere', meaning "to stay" or "to remain". - der: from latin '-arius' via old french '-ier', a suffix forming nouns indicating an agent or a thing related to an action.