Reinstall

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To set up or put software, hardware, or equipment in place once more
2. To repeat the process of placing software or devices onto a system after removal or failure
3. To restore a program, application, or component by performing the installation procedure again

Etymology: "Reinstall" is about as transparent as English compounds get: the prefix "re-" means "again," and "install" is attached to it, so the verb means to install something again, typically replacing or restoring software or hardware. The prefix itself traces back through Latin, where "re-" carried the sense of "back" or "again," and the same prefix appears throughout English words like "rebuild," "return," and "rewrite." The base verb "install" has a more winding path. It descends from Latin roots meaning to place someone in a seat or position, and it came into English by way of Old French, where it was used for establishing a person in an office or dignity. That sense of formally placing someone into a position is still visible when people say a bishop was installed or a president was installed, even though most everyday uses now refer to putting software or appliances in place.

Synonyms: restore, reestablish, reset, reconfigure, install again

Antonyms: uninstall, remove, delete, discontinue, cease