repair

Where does the word "repair" come from? It comes from Latin reparare, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Repair’s story begins in Latin: reparare meant “to restore.” 're-' plus 'parare', to make ready. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as reparer. Latin 'reparare' meant to make ready again, from 'parare', the root of 'prepare'. It reached English by 1300s as repair. 'repair' meaning to go somewhere is a different word from 'repatriare'. Today, repair means to restore something damaged.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient reparare "to restore", 're-' plus 'parare', to make ready.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval reparer "to mend", Latin 'reparare' meant to make ready again, from 'parare', the root of 'prepare'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s repair "to mend", 'repair' meaning to go somewhere is a different word from 'repatriare'.