Reactivating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Restoring something to a working or active state after a period of inactivity
2. Causing a previously inactive object or process to function once more
3. Bringing back into operation or use something that was dormant or paused

Etymology: "Reactivating" is simply the present participle of "reactivate," which is formed by attaching the prefix "re-," meaning "again" or "back," to "activate." The word "activate" itself came into English through a chain of borrowing: Latin "agere" (to do, drive, act) produced "activus," which passed through Old French "actif" and Middle English "actyf" before becoming the modern "active." From "active," English later built "activate," with the Latin-derived suffix "-ate" that turns adjectives and nouns into verbs meaning to make something into that state. The prefix "re-" traces back through Latin to a very old root, and its meaning of repetition or restoration is what gives the word its sense here: to make something active again after it has been idle. A dormant machine, a paused account, or an inactive cell can all be reactivated, which is why the word covers both mechanical and biological contexts.

Synonyms: reviving, restarting, reengaging

Antonyms: deactivating, disabling