Etymologically
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restore

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:19. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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