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repechage

[ rep-uh-shahzh ]
/ ˌrɛp əˈʃɑʒ /
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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.
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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 piscisfish) + -age-age

Words nearby repechage

repeatedly, repeater, repeating decimal, repeating firearm, repeat oneself, repechage, repel, repellent, repent, repentance, repentant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for repechage

repechage
/ (ˌrɛpɪˈʃɑːʒ) /
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
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