Definition of RENDITION

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."

Examples of rendition in a Sentence

a moving rendition of an old gospel song a new rendition of the text in English

Recent Examples on the Web

Diana's rendition of the look involved a pleated skirt, lace trim on the sleeves, and an oversized white lace collar. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kate Middleton Rocks Plaid in Scotland Like Meghan Markle," 29 Jan. 2019 The boys can’t really be faulted for not being able to decipher the words of the song—because the movement, and its anthem, is meant to be pan-tribal, to inspire unity among Native nations, most renditions of the song do not translate it into words. — Rebecca Bengal, Vogue, "The Power of Nathan Phillips’s Song," 21 Jan. 2019 Unlike the original, which is ultra, ultra thick and emollient, this new rendition sinks into skin almost instantly and does so without sacrificing the calming and glow-giving abilities of its counterpart. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "Exclusive: Weleda Created an Entire Collection of Skin Food Products," 22 Oct. 2018 The origins of pizza and its many renditions the world over don’t matter here—pizza consumed when drunk falls into its own category, and There Are Rules. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "A Debatable Encyclopedia of Drunk Food," 1 Oct. 2018 Baja Blast mocktails, cheese fries chilled on dry ice, and, yes, those tiny, tiny gourmet chip platters all made appearances on your dinner table as a pianist upstairs serenaded you with jaunty renditions of the Folgers and Oscar Mayer jingles. — Devon Maloney, The Verge, "Purge supplies, Clone Wars tears, and shrimp cocktail carousels: the best things we saw at San Diego Comic-Con 2018," 23 July 2018 Thousands of fans — some dressed in black, some in homemade tribute T-shirts — waited for entry in the 90-degree heat, animating one another with renditions of XXXTentacion songs. — New York Times, "XXXTentacion Is Mourned by Thousands at a Memorial in Florida," 27 June 2018 Lil Yachty gives fans a sneak peek into his lavish closet while Marlon Wayans stars in a new rendition of Delete Your History. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, "ASAP Rocky Reflects on Crafting 'TESTING' Without ASAP Yams in New 'Complex x Fuse' Episode: Exclusive," 8 June 2018 Sweden One standout moment from the Sweden fans' exploits at Euro 2016 was the hilarious rendition of ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' with the Irish fans. — SI.com, "7 of the Most Iconic National Team Fans From Around the World," 31 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rendition.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.