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re·ply (rĭ-plī)
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v. re·plied, re·ply·ing, re·plies
v.intr.
1. To speak or write as a reaction to a question or other prompting.
2. To act in reaction or as a response: The enemy's bigs guns replied to the salvo. See Synonyms at answer.
3. Law To respond to the defendant's answer or plea.
v.tr.
To say or give as an answer: I replied that I was unable to help them.
n. pl. re·plies
1. A word or a series of words spoken or written in reaction, as to a question or request.
2. An act made in reaction or response.
3. Law A plaintiff's response to the defendant's answer or plea, especially with regard to counterclaims made by the defendant.

[Middle English replien, from Old French replier, from Latin replicāre, to fold back; see REPLICATE.]

re·plier n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.