What does recrossing mean?
A recrossing is the act of crossing something again, usually after having crossed it once before. The phrase is especially applicable to roads, bridges, rivers, railway lines, and other physical barriers, but it can also describe returning across a boundary more generally. In ordinary speech, people are more likely to use the verb “recross” or say “cross again” than the noun “recrossing.” Nevertheless, the noun is useful when the repeated crossing itself is being treated as an event, route, or point in a journey. For example, a delay might prevent the recrossing of a bridge, or changing weather conditions might make a river's second crossing dangerous. The prefix “re-” reinforces the idea of repetition and adds no separate meaning beyond “crossing again.”
nounThe act of crossing something again, especially a road, river, bridge, or other barrier after having crossed it previously. It can also refer to the point or route where a second crossing is made.
- The action or process of crossing a road, river, bridge, or other barrier again.
- A place or route where a second crossing can be made.
"A temporary closure delayed the crew's recrossing of the river."
"The hikers waited for the river to fall before beginning their recrossing."
"The accident at the junction complicated the driver's recrossing of the main road."
The plural is used when referring to multiple separate acts or events of crossing again.
"Repeated recrossings of the busy junction made the journey take twice as long."
A recrossing turns a simple journey into a repeated act of navigation, returning you across a boundary you had already crossed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does recrossing come from?
The word is formed from the prefix “re-,” meaning “again,” and “cross.” The underlying element “cross” has an Old Norse ancestry in the word “kross,” referring originally to a pointed or crossed structure and later to a Christian cross. “Recrossing” is a modern formation in which the prefix indicates that the action of crossing is repeated.
Related word forms
How recrossing is actually used
As a noun, the word is less common than the verb “recross” and usually appears in contexts involving a repeated or return crossing. It can also function as the present participle of “recross.”