replenish
UK[rɪˈplenɪʃ]US[rɪˈplenɪʃ]
v
to make something full or complete again by replacing what has been used or is missing.
v
to provide a supply of something again.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
plen
ish
re
again
plen
full
ish
verb suffix
Etymology
the word "replenish" entered english in the late 14th century from old french repleniss-, the stem of replenir, which itself derived from latin replenire. this latin verb is a compound of the intensive prefix re-, meaning "again," and plenus, meaning "full." the core semantic logic is straightforward: to make full again. while the latin plenus traces back to the pie root pele- (to fill), the modern english word has consistently retained this literal sense of restoring something to a state of fullness or completeness. its usage has specialized in contexts like refilling supplies or restocking resources, maintaining a clear link to its original compositional meaning.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + plen (full) + ish (verb suffix)
- re: latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
- plen: latin origin, from the root plenus meaning "full".
- ish: old french/latin origin, a verb-forming suffix meaning "to make" or "to become".
Examples
the waiter came to replenish our glasses with water.
we need to replenish our food stocks before the winter storm arrives.
the company uses profits to replenish its research and development fund.