Vitalize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To enhance the liveliness or dynamism of an entity, thereby promoting vitality and encouraging renewed growth or development in various situations
2. To give new life or energy to something, making it more active or lively
3. To infuse with vigor or vitality, revitalizing and stimulating growth

Etymology: "Vitalize" is a plain formation: the adjective "vital" (from Latin "vitalis", relating to life, from "vita", life) with the suffix "-ize". That suffix has a long pedigree of its own. It began in ancient Greek as a verb-forming ending, "-izein", which was carried into Latin as "-izare" and then, through Late Latin and Old French, into English, where "-ize" became a productive way to turn nouns and adjectives into verbs. "Vitalize" follows this pattern exactly: it turns the idea of vitality into an action, so to vitalize something is to make it act alive again. The word is therefore a compound of two inherited building blocks rather than a single borrowed term. Its meaning stays close to its parts: "vital" concerns life itself, and "-ize" supplies the sense of bringing about a state. The result is a verb that describes injecting energy into something that has grown sluggish.

Synonyms: energize, invigorate, revitalize, refresh, animate

Antonyms: weaken, deplete, drain, diminish, fatigue