Overhaul

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈəʊvəˌhɔːl/

Definitions

1. A thorough examination and repair of something, especially machinery or a system, to improve its functioning or bring it up to standard
2. A process involving significant repair and improvement of a system or machinery, typically to enhance efficiency or bring it to an acceptable condition
3. The act of extensively reviewing and updating a mechanism or structure to restore optimal performance or compliance with modern standards

Etymology: "Overhaul" is built from two English words: the prefix "over-", meaning across or above, and "haul", meaning to pull or drag with force. Its earliest sense was nautical. Sailors used "haul" for hauling on a rope or pulling a vessel, and to "haul over" a ship meant turning it around or bringing it over to the other side. From there the sense of turning something over and going through it to set it right took hold. The "over-" element traces back through Old English "ofer" to a root shared with Latin "super" and Greek "hyper", so the word is English in its parts but Indo-European at its foundations. The verb itself is a plain compound, with no borrowing involved, and it is used most often in its figurative sense of thorough revision: an overhaul of an engine, a tax system, or a company's processes.

Synonyms: revamp, renovate, revise, reconstruct, rebuild

Antonyms: neglect, ignore