Reply
/rɪˈplaɪ/noun
To answer or respond to a question, statement, or message.
Did you know?Reply comes through Old French from Latin *replicare*, originally meaning “to fold back” or “unroll again,” which is why the word’s deepest history is about turning something back on itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*plek-
“to weave, fold, or plait”
Latin
Latin
replicāre
“to fold back, unfold, or repeat”
Old French
Old French
replier
“to fold back; to answer, respond”
Middle English
English
replien
“to answer or make a return”
Modern English
English
reply
“to answer or respond”