retelling
UK[ˌriːˈtɛlɪŋ]US[ˌriˈtɛlɪŋ]
n
A new version or account of a story or event.
n
The action of telling a story or event again.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
tell
ing
re
again
tell
to narrate
ing
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'retelling' is a modern English compound formed from native Germanic and Latin elements. Its core, 'tell', derives from the Old English 'tellan', meaning to count, recount, or narrate, which itself has Proto-Germanic roots. The prefix 're-', borrowed from Latin, carries its classical sense of repetition, meaning "again". The suffix '-ing', from Old English, nominalizes the verb, indicating the action or its result. Thus, the literal construction "to narrate again" perfectly captures the modern abstract meaning of producing a new version or account of a narrative.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + tell (to narrate) + ing (noun suffix)
re: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
tell: Old English origin (tellan), a verb meaning "to count, relate, narrate".
ing: Old English origin, a suffix forming verbal nouns (gerunds) or nouns of action.
Examples
Her novel is a compelling retelling of the ancient myth from a feminist perspective.
Each generation requires its own retelling of these foundational stories.
The documentary offers a gripping retelling of the events leading to the discovery.