Retransforming

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of converting something back into its original or a different form; restoring a changed item to a former state; repeating transformation to achieve a new or original condition
2. Changing a subject again from one format, condition, or state to another; reversing a previous change to regain a prior form; undergoing multiple transformations to alter or restore appearance or function
3. The act of applying transformation anew after an initial alteration; turning back to an earlier version or condition via conversion; modifying an already changed entity once more to meet desired criteria

Etymology: "Retransforming" is simply the present participle of "retransform", which combines the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back", with "transform". The base verb "transform" comes from Latin "transformare", built from "trans-", meaning "across" or "beyond", and "formare", to shape, so the underlying idea is of shaping something into a new form. Adding "re-" turns that into the idea of shaping it back again, so something already changed is changed once more, typically returning toward its earlier state. The construction is a straightforward one: English has long attached "re-" to verbs to express repetition or reversal, and "retransform" follows the same pattern as words like "reconvert" or "restore". Its meaning is therefore transparent from its parts, with no separate history of its own beyond that of its two components.

Synonyms: converting, transforming, changing, modifying, altering