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re·spond

(rĭ-spŏnd)

v. re·spond·ed, re·spond·ing, re·sponds

v.intr.

1. To make a reply; answer: respond to an email.

2. To act in return or in answer: firefighters responding to a call. See Synonyms at answer.

3. To react to a stimulus or to a treatment, especially in a favorable way: tumors that responded to radiation.

v.tr.

To give as a reply; answer.

n.
Architecture

A pilaster or half-pier engaged to a wall and carrying one end of an arch or groin, often at the end of an arcade.

[Middle English responden, from Old French respondre, from Latin respondēre : re-, re- + spondēre, to promise; see spend- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

re·sponder n.

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.

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