Rebuild

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹiːˈbɪld/

Definitions

1. To construct something again after it has been damaged, destroyed, or taken apart
2. To create anew something that has been fractured, dismantled, or eroded in order to restore its original state or functionality
3. To put together or create something once more because it has been harmed or demolished

Etymology: "Rebuild" is a plain compound: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back", attached to "build". The prefix passed into English through Old French from Latin, where "re-" carried the same sense of repetition, so the word is the ordinary English verb "build" with a repeated action folded into it. The verb "build" has a much older English pedigree. It descends from Old English "byldan" (or "bytlan" in the source's earlier form), a word tied to the noun "bold", meaning a dwelling or house, so building was originally about making a home. Middle English "bilden" carried that sense forward into the modern verb. Because "re-" is a productive prefix, English speakers have attached it to thousands of verbs, which is why "rebuild" feels so transparent. The meaning stays literal: to construct something a second time, whether a ruined church, a damaged engine, or a reputation.

Synonyms: restore, reconstruct, repair, revamp, rehabilitate

Antonyms: destroy, demolish, ruin, dismantle, disassemble