Reconceptualize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To change the way a concept or idea is understood or framed
2. To reformulate or reconsider a notion or theory in a new way
3. To revise the interpretation or conceptual framework of an idea

Etymology: The verb "reconceptualize" is a plain built-up formation: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "anew", attached to "conceptualize". That second word combines "conceptual", meaning "relating to concepts", with the suffix "-ize", which turns an adjective or noun into a verb meaning "to make or treat in a certain way". So the whole word means to conceive something again, giving it a new framework of understanding. The deeper roots are older than English. "Conceptualize" traces back to Latin "conceptus", the past participle of "concipere", "to take in or conceive", built from "com-" ("together") and "capere" ("to take"). The Latin verb is itself a calque of the Ancient Greek "sullambanein", "to take together", which hints at how thinking and grasping have long been linked in language. The "-ize" ending came into English through Medieval Latin, Late Latin and Middle French, and "conceptual" came through Medieval Latin "conceptualis".

Synonyms: redefine, reinterpret