Repigment

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To bring back the color in a surface or tissue that has lost its pigmentation To re-establish the natural pigmentation in areas where it has diminished To replenish or add color to parts that have become discolored over time
2. To apply pigment to a surface or tissue that has lost its original color
3. To cause a faded or colorless area to regain its natural hue

Etymology: "Repigment" is about as transparent as English word-building gets: the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back", attached to "pigment", the coloring matter that gives things their hue. To repigment something is to put its color back into it after it has faded or been bleached away. The base word "pigment" comes from the Latin "pigmentum", meaning paint or coloring substance, itself built on "pingere", "to paint". The combination with "re-" is a straightforward modern formation, so the interesting part here lies less in the history of the word than in the process it names: restoring pigment to skin, hair, fabric, or artwork that has lost its original tone.

Synonyms: recolor, restore, replenish, revive, renew

Antonyms: bleach, fade, whiten, decolorize, diminish