Reintegration

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of restoring someone or something to a former state involves reestablishing connections, adapting to previous norms, and reintroducing societal participation
2. The act of bringing an individual or group back into a system includes restoring roles, adjusting to prior conditions, and enabling social engagement
3. A method of reassigning individuals to their original environment encompasses recovering status, conforming to established guidelines, and facilitating community involvement

Etymology: "Reintegration" is a plain compound: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back", attached to "integration", which comes from Latin "integrare", "to make whole" or "to renew", built on "integer", "whole" or "untouched." The prefix itself reached English through Latin "re-" and Old French "re-", and English simply added it to the existing noun "integration," so the word means, quite literally, making something whole again. The sense of "whole" is what gives the word its weight. "Integer" in Latin was the root of mathematical whole numbers, and "integration" in English first described the act of forming a complete unit from parts. Pairing it with "re-" turns that completeness into a return: a person or group is brought back into a community, a system, or a previous state of being intact.

Synonyms: reincorporation, reunification, restoration

Antonyms: segregation, isolation