reuptake
|re-up-take|
/ˌriːˈʌpteɪk/
take up again
Etymology
'reuptake' originates from Modern English, specifically the prefix 're-' and the noun 'uptake', where 're-' meant 'again' and 'uptake' meant 'the act of taking up'.
'reuptake' was coined in 20th-century scientific and medical contexts from the noun 'uptake'. 'Uptake' itself developed from the phrasal verb 'take up' (with 'take' from Old Norse 'taka' and 'up' from Old English 'up'), and 're-' is from Latin 're-' meaning 'again'.
Initially, the elements meant 'take up again', but over time the compound 'reuptake' evolved into its current technical meaning: the specific process of absorption (especially of neurotransmitters or substances) back into cells or tissues.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process by which a neurotransmitter or other substance released into the synaptic cleft or extracellular space is absorbed back into the presynaptic neuron or releasing cell.
The drug blocks serotonin reuptake, increasing serotonin levels in the synaptic cleft.
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Noun 2
in pharmacology or physiology, the absorption of a substance back into the tissue or cells that previously released or contained it (broader, non-neural use).
Renal reuptake of certain ions affects their concentration in the blood.
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Last updated: 2025/09/23 04:38