Rehabilitation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɹiː.əˌbɪl.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. The process of restoring someone or something to a good state or health; the act of helping a person reintegrate into society or regain legal rights
2. Restoring functionality or health through therapy or repair; assisting an individual to return to society or regain status after a setback
3. The act of bringing back into good condition or physical wellness; a systematic effort to help a person resume societal roles or legal standing

Etymology: The Latin root here is "habilis," meaning "able" or "fit," from "habere," "to have" or "to hold." That sense of fitness is what the word started with. A Latin "habilitare" meant to make someone fit or capable, and adding the prefix "re-" gave "rehabilitare," to make fit again or restore to a former state. The word came into English through Middle French "réhabilitation," which had grown out of Medieval Latin "rehabilitatio." Its earliest English sense was legal and social: restoring a person's reputation, rights, or standing after they had been condemned or disgraced. Only later did it widen to cover the restoration of health and bodily function after illness or injury, which is the sense most people use today.

Synonyms: restoration, recovery, reform, recovery program, therapy

Antonyms: deterioration, decline, destruction, neglect, abandonment