Remanufacturing

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of restoring used products or components to a condition comparable to new, often involving disassembly, cleaning, repair, and reassembly
2. A method of taking previously used items and refurbishing them so they function similarly to brand-new versions
3. Renewing used equipment or parts by repairing and reconditioning them to meet original specifications and performance levels

Etymology: Manufacture itself carries a surprise: it comes from Latin "manu factum", meaning "made by hand", and for centuries it described exactly that, handwork, before machines took over the sense of making goods in bulk. The prefix re- simply means "again", so remanufacture is a plain compound: to make something again. The sense of reworking used goods is what gives the term its particular meaning. The compound is transparent, and its meaning sits in the ordinary senses of its two parts. Re- attached to manufacture produces a verb for making anew, and the noun form, remanufacturing, names the process itself: taking worn or returned products, restoring them, and returning them to service as near to new as possible.

Synonyms: refurbishing, rebuilding, reconditioning

Antonyms: dismantling, scrapping