retransmission
UK[ˌriːtrænzˈmɪʃən]US[ˌriːtrænzˈmɪʃən]
n
The act or process of sending out a signal, message, or data again, especially because it was not received correctly the first time.
n
An instance of a signal, message, or data being sent again.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
trans
mission
re
again
trans
across
mission
sending
Etymology
The word retransmission is a modern compound built from classical Latin elements. Its core, mission, originates from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send, let go, throw." The prefix trans- (across) was added to form transmittere, literally "to send across." In English, this gave us "transmission," the act of sending something across a space or through a medium. The final layer, the prefix re- (again), was appended to create "retransmission," a term that logically emerged with technologies like radio and digital networks to denote the action of sending a signal across once more, typically to ensure its accurate delivery.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + trans (across) + mission (sending)
- re: A Latin prefix meaning "again" or "back."
- trans: A Latin prefix meaning "across," "beyond," or "through."
- mission: From Latin missionem (a sending, despatching), from the root mittere (to send). It functions as the core noun indicating the act of sending.
Examples
The satellite experienced an error, requiring a retransmission of the data packet.
Automatic retransmission is a key feature of reliable communication protocols.
Listeners complained about the retransmission of the old interview instead of new content.