Rally

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹæli/

Definitions

1. A gathering designed to support a cause or candidate can signify both a resurgence in strength after difficulties and a continuous series of exchanges during a game
2. A public event aimed at boosting morale or advocating for a cause often represents a recovery in spirit alongside sequences of play in sports
3. An assembly of people to promote or support a specific goal ; a process of regaining energy or success after a setback ; a sequence of uninterrupted actions or hits in games like tennis or volleyball

Etymology: The verb "rally" has two separate roots that happen to have converged. One comes from Middle French "rallier," meaning to reunite or bring back into formation, built from Latin re- ("again"), ad- ("to"), and ligare ("to bind"). The idea is literally of binding scattered people back together, which is why a rally once meant regathering troops that had broken ranks, and why the sense of recovering strength after a setback comes naturally from it. The other root is the French "railler," meaning to scoff or mock, which is also the source of the English "rail" in the sense of complaining bitterly. This branch is the less obvious one, and it is the reason the word was never fully sealed off from teasing. Its association with mocking has nothing to do with the gatherings and comebacks that define the modern meaning, so the word's two identities trace back to unrelated French verbs.

Synonyms: gather, assemble, mobilize, convene, unite

Antonyms: disperse, scatter, dissolve, separate, disband