Refortify

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To strengthen or build up defenses again after they have been weakened or damaged, reinforcing protection or security measures
2. The act of restoring fortifications or defensive structures anew, bolstering resilience and safeguarding against threats
3. Reinstating or augmenting protective barriers once more to enhance defense capabilities and ensure durability against attacks

Etymology: "Refortify" is simple in construction: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "anew", attached to "fortify". That verb traces back to Latin "fortificare", built from "fortis" ("strong") and "facere" ("to make"), so the whole word amounts to "make strong again." The prefix "re-" comes from Latin "re-", which descends from an older Proto-Italic form, and it entered English through Old French and Middle English. The base word "fortify" is the more interesting half. Its Latin ancestor "fortificare" meant to make strong, and the military sense of building defences came to dominate its use, so that "fortify" today usually means reinforcing walls, towers, or positions against attack. "Refortify" carries that same sense forward: rebuilding or strengthening defences after they have been damaged, weakened, or left to decay.

Synonyms: reinforce, strengthen, fortify, bolster, shore up

Antonyms: weaken, undermine