Word of the Day

: May 15, 2007

rendition

noun ren-DISH-un

What It Means

1 : surrender

2 : translation

3 : performance, interpretation

rendition in Context

Early in her career, the singer starred in a stunning rendition of Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde.

Did You Know?

"Rendition" entered English in the early 17th century and can be traced to the Middle French word "reddition" and ultimately to the Latin verb "reddere," meaning "to return." The English verb "render" is another descendant of "reddere," so perhaps it is no surprise that "rendition" fundamentally means "the act or result of rendering." English speakers also once adopted "reddition" itself (meaning either "restitution, surrender" or "elucidation"), but that word has mostly dropped out of use. Incidentally, if you've guessed that "surrender" is also from the same word family, you may be right; "surrender" derives in part from the Anglo-French "rendre," which likely influenced the alteration of "reddition" to "rendition."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.