rescript

plural rescripts

1. obsoleteA copy, or act of rewriting something; a rewrite.First known use 15th–19th c.
2. CatholicismAn epistle from the pope responding to some specific question of canon law or morality; a papal decision on a question of doctrine.First known use 15th c.

   [R]escripts […] apply only to special circumstances or individuals, and constitute no general precedent. But this nomenclature is not strictly observed.

   1878, "Decretals" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. VII, p. 22

3. Ancient RomeA statement issued by an emperor which sets out legal guidance on some matter, especially in response to a formal request from a magistrate or similar.First known use 16th c.

   "'In order that the people may know of my decision, I request you to prepare at once an imperial rescript that I may broadcast to the nation.'"

   1985, Ronald H. Spector, Eagle Against the Sun

4. Any official edict or announcement.First known use 16th c.

   MacCann began to speak with fluent energy of the Tsar’s rescript, of Stead, of general disarmament, arbitration in cases of international disputes, of the signs of the times, of the new humanity and the new gospel of life […].

   1916, James Joyce, chapter V, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, New York, N.Y.: B[enjamin] W. Huebsch, →OCLC

5. obsoleterarelawA duplicate of, or counterpart to, a legal document.First known use 18th–19th c.

present singular third person rescripts · participle present rescripting · participle past rescripted · past rescripted

1. transitiveTo script again or anew.

   We're rescripting some popular British TV shows for an American audience.