repechage

[ rep-uh-shahzh ]

/ ˌrɛp əˈʃɑʒ /

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.

Nearby words

repeat oneself, repeated, repeater, repeating decimal, repeating firearm, repechage, repel, repellent, repent, repentance, repentant

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

/ (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