What does redisplay mean?
Redisplay means to display or present something a second time. The prefix re- indicates repetition, while display refers to making something visible to an audience, on a screen, in an exhibition, or in another public setting. The verb is commonly used in computing when an interface presents information again after an update, and in museums or cultural institutions when an object is put on show again after a display has ended or been rearranged. Because it is more precise than the general phrase “show again,” redisplay can imply either deliberate repetition or the automatic redrawing of information. It is relatively uncommon in informal speech but standard in technical, administrative, and exhibition-related English. In general contexts, redisplaying an object usually means returning it to public view rather than creating an entirely new presentation.
verbTo display or present again, especially on a screen or in a public place.
- To display or present something again, especially on a screen or in a public exhibition.
"The museum redisplayed the ancient coins after renovating the gallery."
"The page refreshes the results and redisplays them in alphabetical order."
"The original manuscript was redisplayed at the exhibition for the final month."
Sometimes a display needs a second opening: to show something again is to redisplay it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does redisplay come from?
Redisplay is a modern English formation in which the prefix re-, meaning “again,” combines with the older word display. Display comes through Old French from a Latin verb associated with unfolding or spreading out. Its distant relatives include deploy, from Latin displicare, and forms such as complicate and application, which belong to a related family of Latin words based on plicare, “to fold.”
How redisplay is actually used
The word is relatively formal and is especially common in technical, institutional, and exhibition contexts. It is less usual in everyday conversation, where “show again” is more natural.