reviresco

Forms

revirēscō (present infinitive revirēscere, perfect active reviruī); third conjugation, no passive, no supine stem^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin re- (“again”) + virēscō (“to become green”).^[2][1] De Vaan lists virēscō among the derivatives of vireō (“to be green”), whose etymology de Vaan calls uncertain: he gives Proto-Italic *w(e)is- with a question mark, and doubts that the Baltic and Germanic words compared with it belong together.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first example is in Cicero,^[2][4] who in the Philippics speaks of those who are pained that the senate is reviving in the hope of its former authority.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Literally it is used of plants growing green again: Ovid of damaged woods, Tacitus of the Ruminalis tree putting out new shoots, and Gellius of the onion, which grows green as the moon wanes and dries up as it waxes.^[2][5][6] Of persons it means to become young and vigorous again, as in Ovid and Statius, and Columella says that land, once old age has come upon it, cannot grow green again.^[2] Figuratively it means to be restored to a flourishing state or revived in spirit: Cicero uses it of the senate, Tacitus of a party, and Florus of the empire's old age given back its youth.^[2][6] Augustine urges his hearers, in a sermon, to grow green again and ripen.^[6] In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to become green again.^[7]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the senate reviving.^[2][4]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of woods growing green and of an old man made young again.^[2][5][4]
• 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of a tree putting out new shoots and of a reviving party.^[2][5][4]
• c. 165 AD – Gellius uses it of the onion growing green as the moon wanes.^[5][6][4]

Meanings

Verb

1. Of plants, to become green again, show new growth.^[2][5]
2. Of persons, to become young and vigorous again.^[2][6]
3. To be restored to a flourishing condition, revive; to be revived in spirit.^[2][6]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson