ENGLISH
REFERENCE

revive

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ɹiˈvaɪv// UK //ɹɪvˈaɪv// re·vive Archaic

v. To bring someone or something back to life, health, or consciousness. It can also mean to bring an old idea, style, or practice back into use.

v. To restore to life, consciousness, or vigour; to bring something back into use, currency, or notice.


SIMPLE

A glass of water can revive a wilting plant.

CONTEXTUAL

The city plans to revive the old market square with new shops and restaurants.

COMPLEX

The director's decision to revive the forgotten play was a bold artistic move, ultimately earning both critical acclaim and commercial success.

Synonyms
Origin

The verb is derived from Late Middle English reviven, revyven (“to recover from illness; to regain consciousness; to return to life after death; to happen again, recur; to be rejuvenated, renewed; (figurative) to bring back; (alchemy) of a metal: to be restored to its original form”), from Anglo-Norman reviver, revivre (“to return to life after death; to rejuvenate, renew; to make (a law or legal document) valid again”), Middle French revivre, and Old French revivre (“to return to life after death; to rejuvenate, renew”) (modern French revivre), and directly from their etymon Latin revīvere, the present active infinitive of revīvō (“to live again”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + vīvō (“to be alive, survive; to live”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”)). The noun is derived from the verb.

Usage

The verb is typically transitive and takes a direct object, though it can be used intransitively to mean 'return to consciousness'.

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