Recombobulated

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Put back together or brought back into a settled, orderly state after being thrown into disarray
2. Having regained one's composure or arrangement after a jumbled or chaotic disruption
3. Reassembled or reorganized into proper working order following a period of confusion or upheaval

Etymology: "Recombobulated" is the past tense and past participle of "recombobulate," a playful word built by adding the prefix "re-" (again) to "discombobulate." The base word itself is a jocular formation, meaning the joke lies in the sound of the word rather than in any classical root. "Discombobulate" is the older and more famous of the pair, and it was itself a playful coinage, the kind of nonsense-flavoured word that American English produced in abundance. Its exact origin is debated, but its comic sound made it a favourite for describing a state of being thrown into confusion. Adding "re-" to it creates a second joke: having been confused, one is put back in order, or at least into a plausible imitation of it. Because the word is a deliberate nonsense formation rather than a historical term, it has no meaningful ancestry in older languages to trace. Its appeal lies in its sound, which is why the word tends to appear in casual speech and humour rather than in formal writing.

Synonyms: reorganized, composed, restored

Antonyms: discomposed, disordered, flustered