Revival

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈvaɪvəl/

Definitions

1. A restoration to life, activity, or popularity after a period of decline or dormancy
2. a renewed occurrence or restoration of something previously popular, active, or practiced after a period of neglect or inactivity
3. the act of bringing something back into use, prominence, or vitality after it has faded or ceased

Etymology: The word "revival" is simply "revive" with the suffix "-al" added, and the story of that suffix is longer than the word itself. The "-al" ending descends from Latin "-ālis", which marked something as relating to or belonging to a thing. It passed through Old French, where it took the form "-el", and reached Middle English as "-al", so the suffix arrived in English centuries before this word was formed. "Revive" came into English from Old French "revivre", and it carries the Latin sense of coming back to life, from "re-" meaning again plus "vivere" meaning to live. Adding "-al" turned the verb into a noun for the act of reviving. The noun's modern sense of a return to popularity, as with a revival of an old play or a fashion, grew out of that literal idea of being brought back to life.

Synonyms: resurgence, renewal, restoration, reawakening, revitalization

Antonyms: decline, deterioration, death, stagnation, collapse