Tutoring English, you constantly think about words. The tutor shares an idea about the word replace.

We all know the typical meaning of the word replace:

replace: to substitute a thing with another of similar appearance or use

Let’s focus, for a moment, on the literal meaning of re-place. To do so, we consider the definition of the verb place:

place: to put or set in an appropriate position: he placed the pitcher in the centre of the table.

By the meaning of the verb place, can’t replace mean the following?

replace: to put or set again in an appropriate position

An example of my literal meaning of the word replace is as follows:

After watering one quadrant of the lawn for half an hour, he replaced the sprinkler in an adjacent quadrant.

Makes sense, no?

Neither dictionary I consulted offers my opinion:)

Source:

Merriam-Webster. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 2004.

Gilmour, Lorna (ed.) Collins Essential Canadian English Dictionary & Thesaurus. Glasgow: HarperCollins, 2006.

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.