Skip to content

reply

noun

  1. in law, the response by a plaintiff to a defendant's answer
  2. statement made in response to an interrogative question, request or comment
L6128 on Wikidata ↗

verb

No English definition recorded for this entry.

L93 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈplaɪ/

noun

Etymology: From Middle English replyen, replien, borrowed from Old French replier (“to reply”), from the Latin replicō, replicāre (“to fold back”) (in Late or Medieval Latin "to reply, repeat"), from re + plicō (“to fold”); the noun derives from the verb by nominalisation. Doublet of replicate and replica.

  1. A written or spoken response; part of a conversation.

    For example, it is said that someone at a party once asked the famous philosopher Ly Tin Weedle ‘Why are you here?’ And the reply took three years.

  2. Something given in reply.
  3. A counterattack.
  4. The answer of a figure.
  5. A document written by a party specifically replying to a responsive declaration and in some cases an answer.

verb

Etymology: From Middle English replyen, replien, borrowed from Old French replier (“to reply”), from the Latin replicō, replicāre (“to fold back”) (in Late or Medieval Latin "to reply, repeat"), from re + plicō (“to fold”); the noun derives from the verb by nominalisation. Doublet of replicate and replica.

  1. To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.

    (intransitive) Please reply to my letter.

    (transitive) "Sorry I'm late," replied the student.

  2. To act or gesture in response.

    Joanne replied to Pete's insult with a slap to his face.

    It is a sound to be dreaded until you ascertain that it is being made by friendly forces; even then, your welcome to it must be tempered with some caution, because gunfire usually leads to replying gunfire[…]

  3. To repeat something back; to echo.