Recommission

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To restore to active service or use after a period of inactivity or decommissioning
2. To put something back into operation or service following a time of disuse
3. To return an item or facility to functional status so it can be used again after being retired

Etymology: The verb "recommission" is simply "commission" with the prefix "re-" attached, meaning to put something back into service or authority after it has been taken out of it. The base word "commission" is itself a long-established English term, drawn from Latin "commissio", a noun from "committere", meaning to entrust or bring together. Its meaning as an official charge or order to perform a task grew out of that sense of entrusting. The prefix "re-" comes from Latin "re-", meaning "back" or "again", and it is attached here to give the sense of restoring something to its former status. A ship, aircraft or power station that has been decommissioned, meaning taken out of active use, can be recommissioned by being brought back into operation. The pairing is a transparent one: the reader can see the two parts working together without needing any specialist knowledge.

Synonyms: reactivate, reassign, renew

Antonyms: decommission, inactive