Rehearse
/rɪˈhɜːrs/noun
To practice and repeat something in preparation for a performance or event.
Did you know?In Middle English, rehearse could mean not just to practice, but to recount or recite something again and again—proof that repetition has long been tied to memory, authority, and verbal power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱleu-
“to hear, listen to, be told of”
Old English
OE
hīeran / hīrsian
“to hear; to obey; to listen”
Old French
OF
rehercier
“to go over again; to repeat; to recite”
Middle English
English
rehercen
“to recite again; to recount; to tell over”
Modern English
English
rehearse
“to practice or repeat in preparation; to recite or narrate again”