Reinflate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To fill something with air or gas again after it has partially or completely lost pressure; to restore to an inflated state for renewed use or function; to cause something to expand once more by reintroducing air or a similar substance
2. To restore volume or pressure by pumping air or gas back into an object that was deflated; to bring something back to its original inflated condition; to increase the buoyancy or rigidity of something by reinflation
3. The act of filling a deflated item anew with air or gas so it regains its shape and firmness; the process of making an object swell up again after losing its inflation; to reinstate pressure and size by adding air once more

Etymology: "Reinflate" is a straightforward formation: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back," attached to "inflate." The base verb "inflate" comes from Latin "inflare," built from "in-" ("into") and "flare" ("to blow"), so the idea is literally blowing air into something. Adding "re-" gives the plain sense of blowing air into something once more, after it has lost its air or been let down. The prefix "re-" comes from Latin "re-" and has been productive in English for centuries, so "reinflate" follows the same pattern as "refill" or "rebuild." Its meaning is transparent from its parts, which is why it has little history of its own beyond the history of "inflate."