Etymology: Partly (in sense A. 1) < reject v., and partly < reject, past participle of reject v. Compare post-classical Latin rejectus refusal to accept (12th cent. in a British source), act of driving away from a place, repulse (c1390 in a British source), Middle French, French rejet person or thing that has been rejected (1242 in Old French as regiet), action of stopping a hawk (c1393), action of rejecting (1530 as rejecte). N.E.D. (1906) gives the pronunciation as (rĭdʒe·kt) /rɪˈdʒɛkt/. Pronunciation with stress on the first syllable is recognized in Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (1934) and Conc. Oxf. Dict. (1950).

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman regeter , Anglo-Norman and Middle French rejeter, rejecter, Middle French rejetter, regetter, regecter (French réjeter ) to throw back (c1177 in Old French as regieter ), to throw away, cast out (c1185), (of an animal) to kick backwards (late 12th cent.), to expel from the mouth or stomach (c1256), (intransitive) to vomit (14th cent.) and its etymon classical Latin rēiect-, past participial stem of rēicere to throw back, to repulse, to repel, deter, to turn aside, divert, to avert, withdraw, to bring up from the stomach, vomit, to throw away, discard, to dismiss, cast aside, to renounce, to refuse to accept, spurn, to rebuff, to refuse to admit to a position, to exclude, to refuse to sanction or adopt, to hand over, refer, to postpone < re- re- prefix + iacere to throw (see jactation n.).