resurrect
Meaning
to bring someone back to life after they have died
to bring back into use something that had disappeared or been forgotten
Structure
Usage
the story tells of a prophet who could resurrect the dead.
the old theater festival was resurrected after a twenty-year hiatus.
archaeologists hope to resurrect ancient techniques to restore the monument.
Etymology
the word "resurrect" is a modern english back-formation from the older noun "resurrection." it directly draws from the latin components re- (again) and surgere (to rise), with its past participle stem being surrect-. the literal sense is "to rise again," which in a christian theological context specifically referred to rising from the dead. this concrete meaning later broadened metaphorically to encompass reviving any practice, idea, or institution that had fallen into disuse, completing its journey from a physical to an abstract revival.
Analysis
re- (latin prefix, meaning "again"); surrect (from latin past participle surrectus of surgere, meaning "to rise")