Resumption

How to spell resumption

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce resumption

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does resumption mean?

1. nounThe act of beginning something again after it has been stopped or paused.

Resumption in a sentence

• The resumption of trading followed a brief suspension on the exchange.

• Negotiators welcomed the resumption of peace talks after the long recess.

Where does resumption come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb resumere, meaning 'to take up again' or 'to take back', formed from re- 'again' and sumere 'to take'. Latin built the noun resumptio from resumptus, the past participle of that verb, and the same sumere root quietly survives inside related English words like 'assume', 'consume', and 'presume'. English picked up resumption through Old French in the late 1300s, at first in legal and financial senses about taking property back. Over time the meaning broadened to the familiar modern idea of starting something up again after a pause. The spelling trap lives in that buried Latin sumpt stem: the silent-feeling 'p' before the '-tion' is exactly what writers tend to drop, so it helps to remember the cousin word 'consumption'.

How the word is built

• re- (again)
• sumpt (from Latin sumere, to take)
• -ion (noun of action)