核心畫面

Think of things that are meant to sit on one line: the bends of a road, the wheels of a car, the teeth in a jaw. Something has drifted out of line, so the whole set is moved until each part sits right against the others again. That picture of putting things back on their line is a useful way to hold every use of realignment.

realignment 可以想成:本來該排在同一條線上的東西,現在被重新排過一次。路的彎道、車的輪子、嘴裡的牙齒,都更多收起realignment 可以想成:本來該排在同一條線上的東西,現在被重新排過一次。路的彎道、車的輪子、嘴裡的牙齒,都是這種「有一條該在的線」的東西。東西歪了,就整組調到彼此對得上為止。這個「把東西排回線上」的畫面,拿來理解 realignment 的每一種用法都很好用。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary analyses the word as re- plus alignment, that is, alignment done over again. The modern uses all keep that shape: something was already lined up once, and now it is lined up differently.

Wiktionary 把這個字拆成 re-(再一次)加 alignment(排成一線),也就是「再對一次線」。今天的各種用法都還留著這個形狀:本來已經排過一次,現在重新排。

Wiktionary entry for realignment, packet evidence source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1451085104 — etymology_text: 'From re- + alignment.'

Two branches

把東西排回正確的位置

這一族是最貼近畫面的用法:東西真的看得見、摸得到,而且確實有一個「對的位置」。

noun · C1

The act of moving the parts of something back into the correct position in relation to each other, or the result of doing this.

校正對位

把安排和陣營重新排過

同樣是「重新排一次」,但排的東西不再是零件,而是部門、職責,或是人站的位置;而且這裡通常沒有唯一正確的線,只有換過的新排法。

noun · C1

A change in the way something is organized, in which the same parts are put into a new arrangement. It can name the act of making that change, or the new arrangement itself.

重整