Revive

How to spell revive

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce revive

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does revive mean?

1. verbTo bring back to life, consciousness, strength, or use.

Revive in a sentence

• The paramedics worked quickly to revive the collapsed runner.

• A strong cup of coffee can revive you after a long meeting.

Where does revive come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Revive comes from the Latin revivere, meaning 'to live again', built from the prefix re-, meaning 'again' or 'back', and vivere, the verb 'to live'. English took it in the late 1300s by way of the Old French reviver, and it carried the literal idea of returning to life or consciousness. Over time the sense broadened from reviving a fainting person to reviving anything that had faded: a custom, a play, an old fashion, or a flagging economy. The same vivere root powers a whole family of familiar words, including 'survive', 'vivid', and 'revival', so the spelled v in revive sits exactly where the Latin 'live' root does. Knowing that viv means 'live' helps fix the single v and the final silent e in place.

How the word is built

• re- (again)
• viv (live, from Latin vivere)
• -e