Etymologically
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resurgence

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 23:18. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /rɪˈsɜːdʒənts/, /rɪˈsɜːdʒəns/[1]
  • US: /rɪˈsɝːdʒənts/, /rɪˈsɝːdʒəns/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English resurgent + -ence,[2][3][4] after pairs such as excellent and excellence, as Merriam-Webster puts it.[5] The Shorter Oxford derives it directly from the stem Latin resurgent-, of resurgēns, the present participle of resurgō (“to rise again”).[6][5] The Latin verb is formed from re- (“again”) and surgō (“to rise”).[3] The geological sense follows French résurgence, used by Martel in 1900.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of rising again, chiefly in figurative senses: 1798, in S. E. Brydges' novel Arthur Fitz-Albini.[2][5] Etymonline dates it to 1799 and notes that it was figurative from the start.[3]

Semantic evolution

The word came into use in the late 18th century, a little after the adjective resurgent (1746);[2][5] an earlier verb resurge, to rise again, used from the 1570s, had become obsolete.[3] Its main sense is a revival or increase after a period of little activity or popularity.[2][5] In 1900 it was given a technical sense in geomorphology, after French, for a stream coming out again after flowing underground, or the opening it comes out of.[2][6]

Timeline

  • 1798 – a rising again; a revival.[2][5]
  • 1900 – in geomorphology, the re-emergence of an underground stream, or the opening it comes out of.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A rise or revival after a period of little activity, popularity or occurrence: a resurgence of interest in vinyl records.[5][2]
  2. In geomorphology, the re-emergence of a stream that has flowed underground, or the opening from which it comes out.[2][6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press