retry
UK[ˌriːˈtraɪ]US[ˌriːˈtraɪ]
v
To try or attempt something again.
n
A second or subsequent attempt.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
try
re
again
try
attempt
Etymology
The word "retry" is a transparent compound formed within English. Its core, "try," entered Middle English from the Anglo-French "trier," which itself evolved from a Late Latin verb "tritare," meaning "to rub, thresh, grind," derived from Latin "terere" (to rub). The Latin prefix "re-," signifying "again," was attached to this base. The literal sense of "grinding again" evolved through French into the abstract meaning of "testing or attempting," and with the prefix, it logically came to mean "to attempt again." This construction exemplifies the productive pattern in English of using Latinate prefixes to modify native or naturalized verbs to create new, semantically clear terms.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + try (attempt)
- re: A prefix of Latin origin, meaning "again" or "back." It functions as a derivational prefix indicating repetition.
- try: A verb of Anglo-French origin, from Old French "trier" meaning "to pick out, cull, sift." It functions as the base verb meaning to attempt or test.
Examples
The software will automatically retry the failed connection.
He was granted a retry after the initial ruling was overturned.
If you don't succeed, retry with a different approach.