Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An answer, especially to a reply.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An answer to a reply; in general, an answer.
  • noun In law, the fourth stage in the pleadings in an action at common law, being the defendant's answer to the plaintiff's replication. The next allegation of the plaintiff is called surrejoinder.
  • To make a reply.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb Archaic To make a rejoinder.
  • noun An answer to a reply; or, in general, an answer or reply.
  • noun (Law) The defendant's answer to the plaintiff's replication.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun law defendant's answer to the replication.
  • noun A quick response that involves disagreement or is witty; especially an answer to a reply.
  • verb intransitive To issue a rejoinder.
  • verb transitive To say as a rejoinder.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
  • noun (law) a pleading made by a defendant in response to the plaintiff's replication

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French rejoindre, to answer, rejoin; see rejoin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French rejoindre, with infinitive used as noun frequent in Law French.

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Examples

  • Your only rejoinder is ‘Federalism is good’, but does not attempt to address concerns where Federalism fails.

    Matthew Yglesias » Malapportionment Is Destroying the Planet 2010

  • Your rejoinder is that these judges could make far more doing other things.

    Balkinization 2006

  • To our petition for admittance came a friendly rejoinder from the lady of the house, who was soon herself conducting us from room to room, explaining the various alterations effected in later years, and pointing out the parts that are still unchanged.

    Jane Austen: Her Homes and Her Friends 1901

  • Then answered Haggai -- rather, "Then Haggai answered (in rejoinder to the priests 'answer) and said" [Maurer]. so is this people -- heretofore not in such an obedient state of mind as to deserve to be called My people (Tit 1: 15).

    Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 1871

  • The remark, such as it was, called forth a rejoinder from the short comrade, who stated his belief that "they would be likely to find somethin 'there that day."

    The Lighthouse 1859

  • The remark, such as it was, called forth a rejoinder from the short comrade, who stated his belief that "they would be likely to find somethin 'there that day."

    The Lighthouse 1859

  • The drug rejoinder is foolish because it’s based on a time dimension that doesn’t come into play in the music discussion; the enemies of traditional copyright for music in the digital age don’t concede the substantive rights of producers to be compensated for their work even for five minutes.

    Matthew Yglesias » Intellectual Property is About Consumers 2010

  • The drug rejoinder is foolish because it’s based on a time dimension that doesn’t come into play in the music discussion; the enemies of traditional copyright for music in the digital age don’t concede the substantive rights of producers to be compensated for their work even for five minutes.

    Matthew Yglesias » Intellectual Property is About Consumers 2010

  • I’d been intrigued by the Paul Romer proposal to use taxpayer funds to set up new banks rather than muck around with the old ones, but I think Felix Salmon’s rejoinder is convincing.

    Matthew Yglesias » The Case Against New Banks 2009

  • NR’s rejoinder is that debating on the Journal’s show doesn’t count.

    Immigration 2010

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