What does replot mean?
Replot means to plot or plan something again because the original arrangement or course has become unsuitable or has been changed. The word is especially common in aviation and navigation, where a flight crew may replot a route after weather, mechanical problems, or new instructions. It is also used in cartography, engineering, and data visualization when a map or graph must be redrawn with revised coordinates, measurements, or categories. In ordinary discussion, replot can figuratively describe revising a plan or strategy. Although the prefix re- is often associated with undoing an earlier action, replot does not necessarily mean reversing or correcting the original plot; more commonly, it indicates that the plot is being created anew because circumstances or objectives have changed. The word is concise, technical in its most frequent applications, and readily understood wherever maps, routes, graphs, and organized plans are discussed.
verbTo plot or plan something again, especially to revise an existing course, route, map, or set of data. In navigation, it can mean to determine a new route after a change in circumstances.
- To plot a course, route, or trajectory again, usually after changing it.
- To represent or arrange data on a map or graph again, with revisions.
"The pilots had to replot their course when the storm forced the aircraft farther south."
"The engineers replot the flight paths to compare the revised aircraft performance data."
"After the delay, the crew replotted the journey and notified passengers of the new arrival time."
When the destination changes, a navigator may have to replot the entire route.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does replot come from?
Replot combines the Latin-derived prefix re-, meaning “again,” with plot. Plot comes through Middle English from Old English plot, originally referring to a small piece of ground, and is related cognately to words such as Dutch plot and German Plot, all associated with a flat area or patch of ground. The modern sense of marking out a course or representing information developed through the language's use in plotting routes, maps, and plans; adding re- expresses the repetition or revision of that action.
Related word forms
How replot is actually used
The word is most common in navigation, aviation, surveying, cartography, and technical contexts, but it is also used figuratively when a plan or course of action is revised. It is neutral in tone.
Easily confused with replot
Plot means to mark out a course or represent data on a map or graph, whereas replot means to do that again after a change.