Etymologically
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restoration

Etymology and origin of the English word restoration

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
late 14th century
Borrowed from
Old French restoration
Ultimate origin
Latin (restauro)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɹɛstəˈɹeɪʃən/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English restauracion, restoracioun, borrowed from Old French restoration and directly Late Latin restauratio (“a renewal”),[2][3][4] from the past participle stem of restaurāre (“to restore, renew”) (see restore);[2] the form was altered under the influence of restore.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A means of healing, a cure; the renewing of something lost: the late 14th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

Middle English also had restorement and restoring.[2] The repair of a damaged building is from the mid-15th century,[2] and restoring to a former state from about 1500.[2][4] Of persons restored to a position it is from 1660, and of territory or things from 1663.[5] The Restoration, the re-establishment of the English monarchy under Charles II in 1660, is so called from 1718,[2][5] and as an adjective for the theatre of the period by 1842.[2] The Bourbon restoration in France of 1814 is named from 1848.[5] Recovery of health or consciousness is from 1760–72.[5] A model of an extinct animal or landscape is a later sense.[6]

Timeline

  • late 14th century – a cure.[2]
  • mid-15th century – repairing a building.[2]
  • c. 1500 – restoring to a former state.[2]
  • 1718 – the Restoration.[2][5]
  • 1842 – Restoration theatre.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of restoring, or the state of being restored, to a former condition.
  2. Something restored, such as a renovated building.
  3. The return of something lost or taken.
  4. (the Restoration) The return of the English monarchy under Charles II in 1660, or the period that followed.

Word family

  • antirestoration

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Restoration.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/restoration. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·