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definitions

respond

[ ri-spond ]
/ rɪˈspɒnd /
||
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verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

to say in answer; reply.

noun

Architecture. a half pier, pilaster, or the like projecting from a wall as a support for a lintel or an arch, the other side of which is supported on a free-standing pier or column.
Ecclesiastical.
  1. a short anthem chanted at intervals during the reading of a lection.
  2. responsory.
  3. response.

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RELATED WORDS

return, acknowledge, counter, react, behave, answer, reply, rejoin, reciprocate, retort, feedback

Nearby words

respite care, resplendence, resplendent, resplendent quetzal, resplendently, respond, respondence, respondent, respondent conditioning, responder, responsa

Origin of respond

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English: responsory < Old French, derivative of respondre to respond < Latin respondēre to promise in return, reply, answer, equivalent to re- re- + spondēre to pledge, promise (see sponsor); (v.) < Latin respondēre
Related formso·ver·re·spond, verbun·re·spond·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for respond

British Dictionary definitions for respond

respond

/ (rɪˈspɒnd) /

verb

to state or utter (something) in reply
(intr) to act in reply; reactto respond by issuing an invitation
(intr foll by to) to react favourablythis patient will respond to treatment
an archaic word for correspond

noun

architect a pilaster or an engaged column that supports an arch or a lintel
Christianity a choral anthem chanted in response to a lesson read at a church service
Derived Formsrespondence or respondency, nounresponder, noun

Word Origin for respond

C14: from Old French respondre, from Latin rēspondēre to return like for like, from re- + spondēre to pledge; see spouse, sponsor
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

Word Origin and History for respond

respond

v.

c.1300, respound, from Old French respondere "respond, correspond," from Latin respondere "respond, answer to, promise in return," from re- "back" (see re-) + spondere "to pledge" (see spondee). Modern spelling and pronunciation is from c.1600. Related: Responded; responding.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper