Restyling

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of altering the design or look of something to give it a new style
2. Changing the visual or stylistic elements of an object or design to update its appearance
3. Modifying the aesthetic features of an item or design to create a refreshed or different look

Etymology: "Restyling" is simply the present participle and gerund of the verb "restyle," which is built from the prefix "re-" meaning "again" and the noun "style." The noun itself has a longer and more winding path. It comes from Latin "stilus," a pointed writing tool used to scratch letters into wax tablets, which passed through Old French "estile" and Middle English "stile" before settling into the modern "style." The surprise lies in that original tool. A stylus was an implement for making marks, so the sense of "style" as a manner of doing things grew out of a way of writing. Restyling, then, is literally making a fresh set of marks on something that already carries them, though the sense today is applied to the look of a car, a logo or a piece of furniture rather than to handwriting.

Synonyms: redesign, reworking, restructuring