repechage

[rep-uh-shahzh]

noun

(in cycling and rowing) a last-chance qualifying heat in which the runners-up in earlier heats race each other, with the winner advancing to the finals.

Origin of repechage

1925–30; < French repêchage second chance, equivalent to repêch(er) to fish up again (re- re- + pêcher to fish; Middle French, Old French pescher < Vulgar Latin *piscāre, Latin piscārī, derivative of piscis fish) + -age -age

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for repechage

repechage

noun

a heat of a competition, esp in rowing or fencing, in which eliminated contestants have another chance to qualify for the next round or the final

Word Origin for repechage

C19: from French repêchage literally: fishing out again, from re- + pêcher to fish + -age

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012