What does remounting mean?
Remounting is the present participle and gerund of remount, meaning to mount again or return to something from which one has dismounted. Its most familiar use concerns a rider or horse: a person who falls may remount and continue the journey, while a handler may help a rider mount the animal again. The verb can also mean getting back onto a bicycle, motorcycle, or similar conveyance. In a more formal, figurative sense, remounting means beginning an activity, campaign, or effort anew, often with fresh resources or determination. Although its spelling may suggest a fresh or replacement horse in some historical contexts, the modern literal meaning primarily emphasizes the action of mounting again rather than the identity of the animal. The word is relatively uncommon in everyday speech but remains natural in descriptions of riding, military activity, and the renewal of a undertaking.
verbMounting again, especially a horse or rider, or beginning an activity or campaign anew.
- To mount a horse or person again.
- To get back onto a horse or other means of transport after dismounting.
- To begin or resume an activity, effort, or campaign.
"After helping the rider to the ground, the groom held the horse steady while she was remounting."
"The officer remounted and rode toward the front."
"The campaign was remounted with stronger support the following year."
The prefix “re-” captures the action exactly: a remount is a return to the saddle, not necessarily a new horse.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does remounting come from?
Remounting is formed from re- and mount, with the prefix meaning “again.” Mount derives through Old French monter from Latin montare, “to go up,” ultimately associated with Latin mons, meaning “mountain.” Related English words include mountain, mound, and dismount, although remounting specifically preserves the sense of mounting again.
Related word forms
How remounting is actually used
The literal sense is especially associated with horses but can refer to any form of transport. The figurative sense, meaning to restart or mount an effort anew, is more formal and literary.