Etymologically
Log in

rebuild

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:54. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɹiːˈbɪld/[1]

Etymology

It is from English re- + build, re- meaning back or again.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To build up again what has been demolished: about 1600, implied in rebuilding, in Etymonline;[2] Merriam-Webster dates an intransitive use to the 15th century.[3] The OED's first quotation for the transitive verb is from 1611.[4]

Semantic evolution

The noun, an act of rebuilding or a thing rebuilt, is from 1692.[4] Modern senses include making extensive structural repairs and restoring a system or situation to its former state, as in rebuilding one's life.[5][6]

Timeline

  • 15th century – rebuild (Merriam-Webster).[3]
  • c. 1600 – rebuilding.[2]
  • 1611 – to build again.[4]
  • 1692 – a rebuild (noun).[4]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To build again something that was damaged or destroyed; to reconstruct.
  2. To make extensive repairs or changes to.
  3. To restore to a former condition: rebuild his life.

Word family

  • rebuildable
  • rebuildability
  • rebuilder

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins