restore

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɹɪˈstɔː/, /ɹɪˈstoɹ/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English restoren, borrowed from Old French restorer (modern French restaurer),^[2][3][4] from Latin restaurāre (“to repair, rebuild, renew”), from re- (“back, again”) and -staurāre, as in instaurāre, to renew,^[2][3][4] perhaps from PIE Proto-Indo-European *sta- (“to stand”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To give back; to build up again: 1297 in the OED, about 1300 in Barnhart and Etymonline.^[5][2][3]

Semantic evolution

To compensate or make good a loss is from the 14th century, now rare,^[5] and to cure or bring back to health from the late 14th century.^[3] To bring back to an original state is from the 14th century and of objects or beliefs from the 1670s;^[6][3] to repair and retouch a work of art is from 1679,^[5] and to reconstruct something ancient, such as an extinct animal, in its original form from 1771.^[5] Latin restaurare could also mean to provide food, hence French restaurant.^[7] Restoration is from before 1500.^[2]

Timeline

• 1297 – to give back; to rebuild.^[5]
• late 14th century – to heal.^[3]
• 1679 – to repair a work of art.^[5]
• 1771 – to reconstruct a fossil animal.^[5]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To bring back to an earlier condition, as by repairing or cleaning.
2. To bring back into use or existence; to reinstate.
3. To give back something lost or stolen.
4. To bring back to health or strength.

Word family

• restorer
• restorable
• restorableness
• restoral

Related words

• restoration
• restorative
• restaurant
• store
• instaurate

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press