Wordul · all words

verb · 2 syllables · /rɪˈpeɪ/

REPAY

What does "REPAY" mean?

To pay back money owed, or to return a favor or wrong.

Meanings

  1. To pay back money that one owes. He repaid the loan two years ahead of schedule.
  2. To give back or reward in return for something received. How can I ever repay your kindness?
  3. To make a return for; to be worth the effort or attention given. This book repays a second reading. figurative

Did you know?

  • Buried inside 'repay' is the Latin word for peace: 'pay' comes from 'pacare', to pacify - so to repay a debt was originally to make peace with your creditor.

Word origin

From Old French 're-' ('back') plus 'payer' ('to pay'), the latter from Latin 'pacare' ('to appease, pacify'), from 'pax' ('peace') - to pay was originally to make peace with a creditor.

Remember it

RE-PAY: pay it back. And inside 'pay' hides 'pax' (peace) - settling debts makes peace.

A little poem

Some debts arrive in coin and close with cash;
the kind ones come in kindness, paid in trust.

couplet

What it teaches

Money debts close on schedule; the debts of kindness stay open until you pass them forward.

Quick facts

What does REPAY mean?

To pay back money owed, or to return a favor or wrong.

Is REPAY a valid word?

Yes — REPAY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is REPAY?

REPAY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does REPAY come from?

From Old French 're-' ('back') plus 'payer' ('to pay'), the latter from Latin 'pacare' ('to appease, pacify'), from 'pax' ('peace') - to pay was originally to make peace with a creditor.

What can REPAY teach us?

Money debts close on schedule; the debts of kindness stay open until you pass them forward.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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