rehabilitate
v.to help someone who has been in prison or is sick to get back to normal life. It can also mean to repair something that was broken or damaged.
v.to restore someone to a normal life after imprisonment or illness; to repair or restore something to a former condition. Transitive — requires a direct object.
“The government is working to rehabilitate former prisoners.”
“The hospital provides a comprehensive program to rehabilitate patients who have suffered serious injuries to their legs.”
“The architect's goal was to rehabilitate the historic building without removing its original features, ensuring the structure remained a cultural landmark for future generations.”
“Photograph: Mercedes Ortuno/EPA He has since tried to rehabilitate his image, taking out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal apologising for his antisemitic behaviour and discussing his struggles with mental health.”
“But 1% of criminals were responsible for a large amount of crime, and protecting the public took precedence over rehabilitating them.”
Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin rehabilitātus, perfect passive participle of Latin rehabilitō. See habilitate.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.