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Avangi Posted 18 years ago
Vocabulary

reprise - noun/verb

Is anyone expert on this word? A musician friend who should know better insisted on rhyming it with "surprise," and in researching it I was shocked to find my old reliable dictionary didn't include it as a transitive verb. Neither does Google. A friend with an unabridged told me over the phone the verb was long-I and the noun was long-E. I began doubting him when I recalled the lyrics of April In Paris: " . . . . holiday tables under the trees/ April in Paris, this is the feeling/ No one could ever reprise." Here it's clearly a transitive verb, and clearly long-E. I know I've seen many examples of its use as a verb. "Will Bonds be able to reprise yesterday's performance at the plate?" (I made that one up.)

Thanks for your help, - A.
  

Top answer

The online Merriam-Webster says that the noun and verb have both pronunciations, but that the verb in the meaning ' 3 a : to repeat the performance of b : to repeat the principal points or stages of' is pronounced /-pri:z/ while its archaic meanings are pronounced /-praiz/.

— Mister Micawber

  • The online Merriam-Webster says that the noun and verb have both pronunciations, but that the verb in the meaning ' 3 a : to repeat the performance of b : to repeat the principal points or stages of' is pronounced /-pri:z/ while its archaic meanings are pronounced /-praiz/.
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2 Answers
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The online Merriam-Webster says that the noun and verb have both pronunciations, but that the verb in the meaning '3 a: to repeat the performance of b: to repeat the principal points or stages of' is pronounced /-pri:z/ while its archaic meanings are pronounced /-praiz/.

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Thanks for your reply, Mr. M, and thanks for working on Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas.
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