Reinitialise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To restore a system, device, or program to its original starting condition so that it can begin again from the beginning
2. Setting something back to its first state, often by resetting its settings so it operates as it did when new
3. Returning a computer, machine, or process to its initial configuration in order to start over cleanly

Etymology: "Reinitialise" is the British spelling of "reinitialize", and its history is a plain compound: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back", attached to "initialise", which itself comes from "initial". The prefix goes back through Latin "re-" to a very old Proto-Italic source, and it reached English through Old French, which is why it appears so often in English verbs formed from existing words. The base word "initialise" was formed in English from "initial", which in turn comes from Latin "initialis", meaning "of the beginning", based on "initium", "beginning". Adding "re-" creates a verb meaning to set something back to its starting state again, a sense that fits computing, where a system or variable is reset to its original values.

Synonyms: reinitialize, reset, restart