Rededicate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To formally designate something anew for a specific purpose after it has been dedicated before
2. To commit again to a certain function or cause after having shifted its previous dedication
3. To assign or devote something once more to a particular use or goal after it was dedicated earlier

Etymology: Rededicate is a plain compound: the prefix "re-" meaning "again" joined to "dedicate." The root of "dedicate" is Latin "dedicare," meaning "to make known, proclaim, or devote," built from "de-" (here meaning "fully" or "formally") and "dicare," "to proclaim." The verb was formed in English from that Latin base, while the prefix "re-" passed into English through Old French from Latin "re-," which is itself a form of the Latin prefix meaning "back" or "again." Because the word is a straightforward combination, its meaning follows directly from its parts: to devote something once more after it has been turned toward a different purpose. Its sense is literal and transparent, with no shift in meaning from its component parts.

Synonyms: reconsecrate, reaffirm, renew, dedicate again