revival
/rɪˈvaɪ.vəl/
noun
Origin
Latin
revivere — to live again
Overview
Meaning Now
- An improvement in the condition, strength, or fortunes of something.
- The restoration of something to use, notice, or attention.
- A religious meeting or series of meetings intended to reawaken interest in religion.
Literal older meaning
a living again
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
revival
Earliest period
late 16th century
Journey
The term gained significant religious nuance in the 18th and 19th centuries during the 'Great Awakenings' in North America and Britain, where mass evangelical gatherings were specifically referred to as revivals.
Evolution
- Latin
revivere
“to live again”
Formed from re- (again) + vivere (to live).
- Old French
revivre
“to revive, to come back to life”
- Middle English
reviven
“to restore to life”
Adopted from French into the English verb system.
- Late 16th century
revival
“the act of reviving”
Addition of the suffix -al to the verb 'revive'.
Connections
Word parts
re-
prefix
again
viv
root
live
-al
suffix
suffix forming nouns from verbs
Related across languages
French
revivre
to revive
Spanish
revivir
to revive
Explore next
Related to revival
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.