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re1

Pronunciation: /riː, reɪ/
Translate re | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of re

preposition

  • in the matter of (used typically as the first word in the heading of an official document or to introduce a reference in a formal letter):re: invoice 87
  • about; concerning:I saw the deputy head re the incident

Origin:

Latin, ablative of res 'thing'

The traditional view is that re should be used in headings and references, as in Re: Ainsworth versus Chambers, but not as a normal word meaning ‘about’, as in I saw the deputy head re the incident. However, the evidence suggests that re is now widely used in the second context in official and semi-official contexts, and is now generally accepted. It is hard to see any compelling logical argument against using it as an ordinary English word in this way.

re in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of re in the US English dictionary
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/ rɪˈbɑːbətɪv /
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