The Spanish verb 'reemplazar' (to replace) comes from the French word 'replacer', which was formed from multiple Latin elements. The word combines the Latin prefix 're-' meaning 'again, back' and 'in-' meaning 'in, into' with a root derived from Latin 'platea' meaning 'street, plaza'. The Latin 'platea' itself was borrowed from Greek 'plateia' meaning 'broad street'.

The semantic evolution is interesting - from the concept of a broad street or plaza, the word developed to mean putting something back in its place (as if returning something to its proper position in the plaza), and eventually generalized to mean replacing something with something else.

The Spanish word 'plaza' is a direct relative of 'reemplazar', as both trace back to the Latin 'platea'. While 'plaza' retained its original meaning of an open public square or marketplace, 'reemplazar' developed its meaning of replacement through the addition of the prefixes and the evolution through French.

English speakers can connect 'reemplazar' with several familiar English words. The most obvious is 'replace', which shares the same French origin and identical meaning. Additionally, the word 'plaza' in English, borrowed from Spanish, comes from the same ultimate Latin and Greek source. Even the word 'place' is related, coming from the same Latin root 'platea', making it easier to understand how 'reemplazar' literally means to 'put back in place'.