re
/riː/ (bre, ipa) · [rˈi] /riː/ (ame, ipa) · [rˈe] /ˈrā/ (ame, mw) · /ˌɑːr ˈiː/ (bre, ipa) · [rˈe] /ˌɑːr ˈiː/ (ame, ipa) · /riː-/ (bre, ipa) · [rˈi] /riː-/ (ame, ipa)
re — preposition
1. used in formal letters, emails, and official documents to introduce the topic or
used in formal letters, emails, and official documents to introduce the topic or subject that the message is about.
Re your application for the marketing role, we would like to invite you for an interview next week.
re + noun phrase in formal letter opening
The envelope was marked 'Re: Account Number 4492' in bold letters on the front.
subject line format in business correspondence
Re our telephone conversation this morning, I confirm that the meeting date has been changed to Friday.
All correspondence must include 'Re: Estate of the late Mrs. Okonkwo' at the top of the letter.
The legal document began with 'Re: Property Dispute between Chen and Liu' to state its purpose.
- regarding
equally formal but more common in spoken English
- concerning
slightly more formal, used in both writing and speech
- about
neutral and widely used; less formal than 're'
文法句型
re + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used in letter headings, memo subject lines, and legal documents. The topic noun phrase follows directly after 're' without a preposition.
常見錯誤
2. placed at the front of an email subject header when your message answers a previ
placed at the front of an email subject header when your message answers a previous message that someone sent you.
When Dario hit reply, the email system automatically added 'Re:' before the original subject.
automatic addition by email client
Naoko's inbox showed twelve messages all starting with 'Re: Budget Meeting'.
Please remove the 'Re:' tag from the subject line when you start a completely new topic.
The subject line 'Re: Re: Office Party' appeared after several people had replied to the same thread.
Gabriela noticed the subject still said 'Re: Old Project' even though the discussion had moved on to a different matter.
文法句型
Re: + original subject line
用法筆記
Derived from Latin 'rēs' (thing, matter) via the same origin as the REGARDING sense, but now functions as a standard email convention. Some email clients display 'Re:' even when the message is forwarded rather than replied to.
常見錯誤
re — noun
1. the second pitch in the solfège singing scale, chanted or spoken in the pattern
the second pitch in the solfège singing scale, chanted or spoken in the pattern do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti.
The choir warmed up by singing do, re, mi, fa, so up and down the scale.
sol-fa scale sequence
In the key of C major, the note re corresponds to the pitch D on the piano.
re corresponds to D in C major
Naoko practiced holding the re for four full counts during the vocal exercise.
The children's song began on re and moved up to mi in the second bar.
Asher marked every re in his sheet music with a small dot to help with sight-singing.
- supertonic
technical music theory term for the second scale degree
文法句型
the note re
sing re
用法筆記
Comes from the medieval hymn 'Ut queant laxis' where each phrase began on a successive note of the scale. The syllable 're' was taken from the line 'resonare fibris'.
常見錯誤
re — prefix
1. added to verbs to show that an action is performed once more, especially when th
added to verbs to show that an action is performed once more, especially when the first attempt was not successful or the result has changed.
The teacher told Christopher to redo the math problems that he had answered incorrectly.
re- attached to 'do' = do again
The city council voted to rebuild the school after the earthquake damaged the old building.
re- attached to 'build' = build again
Élise decided to reconsider her career options before signing the contract.
The company will reopen the store next month after completing the renovations.
The journalist had to rewrite the article because the editor found several factual errors.
文法句型
re- + verb
用法筆記
When the base word begins with 'e', a hyphen is often added for clarity: re-enter, re-elect, re-examine. Many common re- words (reply, receive, require) are NOT formed with this prefix — they come from Latin and the 're-' is part of the root, not a prefix added to an existing English word.
常見錯誤
2. added to verbs to indicate that something moves back to an earlier place, condit
added to verbs to indicate that something moves back to an earlier place, condition, or owner, often restoring what was lost or moved.
The library asked Mark to return the overdue books before the end of the week.
re- + 'turn' = turn back, give back
After the blackout, workers worked through the night to restore power to the neighborhood.
re- + 'store' = store again, bring back
The store will refund your money if you are not satisfied with the purchase.
The museum hired a specialist to restore the old paintings to their original condition.
The government promised to repay the loan with interest over ten years.
文法句型
re- + verb
用法筆記
This sense often overlaps with the DO AGAIN sense — 'restore' could mean 'store again' (original state) while 'reopen' means 'open again' (repeat action). Context determines which meaning is intended. The hyphen rule (re-enter, re-elect, re-examine) applies to this sense as well.
常見錯誤
re — symbol
1. the chemical symbol for rhenium, a hard, silvery-white metal element with a very
the chemical symbol for rhenium, a hard, silvery-white metal element with a very high melting point, used in high-temperature alloys and catalysts.
On the periodic table, the symbol Re stands for the element rhenium.
Re as periodic table symbol
Superalloys containing Re are used in jet engine turbine blades because of their heat resistance.
The chemistry student looked up the atomic mass of Re before starting the experiment.
Rhenium (Re) has one of the highest melting points of any metal, exceeding 3,000 degrees Celsius.
用法筆記
Always capitalized when used as a chemical symbol. Rhenium is one of the rarest elements in the Earth's crust, and its symbol 'Re' is primarily used in scientific and industrial contexts.