Refurbish

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹiːˈfɜːbɪʃ/

Definitions

1. To give new life to an object by repairing or cleaning it to better its state; to modernize or upgrade something to current standards; to make something look or work like new again
2. To renew or remake a thing through fixing or redecorating to improve use or look; to refurbish equipment by updating components; to reinvigorate a space by restoring its appeal or function
3. To restore an item by repairing damage and refreshing its appearance ; to update or improve facilities or equipment making them more modern ; to renovate a space so it functions better and looks renewed

Etymology: Before it meant giving a tired house or old chair a new lease on life, "furbish" meant something closer to scrubbing a rusty blade until it gleamed. The word arrived in English from Middle French "forbir," which meant "to clean" or "to polish," and that French verb traces back to a Frankish word, "*furbēn," with the same sense. Medieval English speakers used "furbish" for burnishing armour and weapons, and that practical sense of restoring a surface to its former brightness is still visible in the modern word. "Refurbish" is simply "re-" attached to "furbish," with the prefix meaning "again" or "anew." The compound is recorded from 1605, so it is an early-modern formation that took the old polishing sense and extended it to any restoration of something worn, from metal to buildings to furniture.

Synonyms: renovate, restore, revamp, rehabilitate, update

Antonyms: deteriorate, ruin, destroy, neglect, disrepair