revival

Pronunciation

• IPA: /rɪˈvaɪ.vəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from revive and -al.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of reviving after decline or disuse: 1609 in Merriam-Webster, 1651 in the OED, the 1650s in Etymonline.^[3][4][2]

Semantic evolution

The restaging of an old play is a revival from 1664,^[4][2] restoration to vigour from 1752, and return to life or consciousness from 1788.^[4] A general religious awakening in a community is in Cotton Mather in 1702,^[2][4] and by 1818 revivals were enthusiastic religious meetings, often Methodist.^[2] Revivalist is from 1812.^[2] The revival of learning, the Renaissance, is from 1785,^[4] and the Gothic revival in Victorian architecture by 1850.^[2][4]

Timeline

• 1609 – a revival.^[3]
• 1664 – a revival of a play.^[4]
• 1702 – a religious revival.^[2][4]
• 1785 – revival of learning.^[4]
• 1812 – revivalist.^[2]
• 1850 – the Gothic revival.^[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of reviving, or the state of being revived.
2. A return to use, interest or vigour after a period of neglect: the Gothic revival.
3. A new production of an old play, film, opera or the like.
4. A reawakening of religious faith, or a meeting meant to bring one about.
5. A return to life or consciousness.

Word family

• nonrevival
• prerevival
• revivalism
• revivalist

Related words

• revive
• survive
• vital

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press