▪ I. re, n.1
(reɪ)
Also 6 rey.
[The first syllable of L. resonāre; see gamut.]
a. The second note of Guido's hexachords, and of the octave in modern solmization. b. (As in Fr. and It.) The note D, the second of the natural scale of C major. (rare.)
| c 1325 [see g-sol-re-ut]. a 1529 Skelton Bowge Courte 258 A balade boke before me for to laye, And lerne me to synge, Re, my, fa, sol. c 1550 Armonye of Byrdes 185 in Hazl. E.P.P. III. 194 Chaungyng their key From ut to rey. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iii. i. 74 A re, to plead Hortensio's passion. Ibid. 77 D sol re, one Cliffe, two notes haue I. 1636 Waller To Mr. Henry Lawes, Let those which only warble long,..Content themselves with Ut, Re, Mi. 1818 Busby Gram. Music 60 Whatever the key in which the octave is taken, do is the tonic, re the supertonic. |
Hence † re v. (in nonce-use).
| 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iv. v. 121, I will carie no Crochets, Ile Re you, Ile Fa you, do you note me? |
▪ II. ‖ re, n.2
(riː)
[Ablative of L. rēs thing, affair.]
In the matter of, referring to. Cf. in re s.v. in prep. 24 (d). Now freq. apprehended as a preposition, and used in weakened senses to mean ‘about, concerning’.
re infecta, ‘with the matter unfinished or unaccomplished’, has also been freq. employed in Eng.
The use as a preposition has freq. been condemned: see Fowler Mod. Eng. Usage (1926) s.v. illiteracies and A. P. Herbert in quots.
| 1707 Hearne Collect. 17 May (O.H.S.) II. 14 Amused by Charlett's trick re Tacitus. 1926 in H. W. Fowler Mod. Eng. Usage 484/1 Dear Sir,—I am glad to see that you have taken a strong line re the Irish railway situation. Ibid. 484/2 Reference had been made in a former issue to some alleged statements of mine re the use of the military during the recent railway dispute. 1935 A. P. Herbert What a Word! iii. 80 We herewith enclose receipt for your cheque {pstlg}4 on a/c re return of commission re Mr. Brown's cancelled agreement re No 50 Box Street top flat. 1939 [see inclusivity]. 1976 Time 27 Dec. 2/2 Re your article on legitimized gambling.. and specifically state lotteries: the inefficiency of revenue collection is horrendous and the odds for winning are unconscionable. 1977 Time 7 Feb. 1/3 Re my archaeological explorations in Syria: it is not true that ‘..the Italian archaeologists have been slow to publicise their discoveries’. 1979 Verbatim Summer 5/2 G. Bocca's observations re public signs. |
▪ III. re
abbrev. of rupee.
| 1913 W. T. Rogers Dict. Abbrev. 164/1 Re. (money), rupee. 1962 Housewife (Ceylon) Apr. 10 These courses are practical, economical (Re. 1/- for 3 lessons). 1971 Hindustan Times Weekly (New Delhi) 4 Apr. 11/2 Gramdal was better by Re 1 on good offtake. |
Substitute for def.: [Graphic abbrev.] Abbreviation of rupee n.
▪ IV. re
obs. sing. rees reis (Portuguese money).
▪ V. re
obs. Sc. form of roe, deer.