▪ I. recreate, v.1
(ˈrɛkrɪeɪt)
[ad. L. recreāt-, ppl. stem of recreāre to restore, refresh, f. re- re- + creāre to create. Cf. F. récréer (14th c. in Littré).]
1. a. To restore to a good or normal physical condition from a state of weakness or exhaustion; to invest with fresh vigour or strength; to refresh, reinvigorate (nature, strength, a person or thing). In later use only refl. (cf. 4 b).
| 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 444 Onto the tyme reformit war sic thing..And recreat agane als war thair strenth. 1555 Eden Decades 106 Sweete sauers greatly recreatynge and comfortynge nature. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 152 Wine recreateth and refresheth the stomack. 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia iv. 112 After hee had recreated and refreshed his Companie, he was sent to the Riuer Patawomeake. 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 199 Stirring the Mould with the Spade, and (as need is) recreating it with Composts. |
| refl. 1542 Elder Let. to K. Hen. VIII in Bannatyne Misc. (1827) I. 11 A certane lady, namede Scota, which..come out of Egipte..to recreatt hir self..in the colde ayre of Scotland. 1555 Eden Decades 279 When Demetrius had..rested and recreate him selfe. 1797 Holcroft Stolberg's Trav. (ed. 2) III. lxxxix. 494 We recreated ourselves at two..springs. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. ii, He stopped at the island, and recreated himself with a glass of beer. 1862 Helps Ess., Organ. Daily Life (1875) 159 That each living being requires a certain portion of air to recreate itself with. |
† b. To restore to life, revive. Obs. rare—1.
| 1631 Weever Anc. Funeral Mon. 122 They had power to calme stormes and tempests,..to recreate euen the dead. |
† 2. a. To refresh (a sense or its organ) by means of some agreeable object or impression. Obs.
| 1514 Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshm. (Percy Soc.) p. xxxi, What joye haue courtiers in tasting or in smell; For these two wittes in court be recreate. 1578 Banister Hist. Man viii. 104 By the which varietie of colours the weryed eyes are recreated. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. ii. iii. i. i, You haue many pleasant obiects, sweet smells, delightsome tasts..&c. to recreat your senses. 1684 Contempl. St. Man ii. v. (1699) 172 The eyes shall ever be recreated with the Light of the..Bodies of the Saints. 1693 Evelyn De la Quint. Compl. Gard. I. 144 Speckled with little red spots that recreate the Sight. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 179 ¶10 Those Delicacies of Nature recreate two Senses at once. |
† b. To refresh or enliven (the spirits, mind, a person) by some sensuous or purely physical influence; to affect agreeably in this way. Obs.
| c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S) v. 3 May is the moneth maist amene..To recreat thair havy hartis. 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. lxxi. 241 The later writers say that it [Basill]..recreateth the spirites. 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 395 He that commeth into fine gardens, is as much recreated to smell the flower, as to gather it. 1622 J. Hagthorpe Div. Medit. xix. (1817) 15 Ten thousand flowers to recreate the mind. 1651 tr. De-las-Coveras' Don Fenise 1 The various beauties of the Plants and Streames could but very little recreate him. 1712 Blackmore Creation ii. 59 Whose odoriferous exhalations fan The flame of life, and recreate beast and man. 1750 Johnson Rambler No. 80 ¶3 We are very agreeably recreated, when the body, chilled with the weather, is gradually recovering its natural tepidity. |
| absol. 1778 Sir J. Reynolds Disc. viii. (1876) 440 Variety..must be employed to recreate and relieve. |
3. To refresh or cheer (a person) by giving comfort, consolation or encouragement. Now rare.
| c 1470 Henryson Mor. Fab. ii. (Town & C. Mouse) xi, Ane gentill hart is better recreate With blith curage [Bann. MS. usage] than seith to him ane kow. 1502 W. Atkynson tr. De Imitatione ii. xii. 194 Thou shuldest rather chose aduersyte than desyre to be recreate with many consolacions. 1577 tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 740 Hagar the hand⁓maid of Sara beeing in extreme daunger, is recreated by the consolation of an Angell. 1638 Penit. Conf. viii. (1657) 235 The holy Spirit recreates and comforts him with the sweet voice. 1749 G. Lavington Enthus. Meth. & Papists (1752) 54 St. Anthony had often familiar Conversations with God, recreating him with extraordinary comforts. 1834 Oxf. Univ. Mag. I. 46 The habit..of being recreated with the cheers of an exhilarated multitude. |
4. a. To refresh or enliven (the mind, the spirits, a person) by some pastime, amusement, occupation, agreeable news, etc.
| 1531 Elyot Gov. i. vii, The mooste noble and valiant princis.., to recreate their spirites,..enbraced instrumentes musicall. 1584 Cogan Haven Health ii. (1636) 19 That learned Lawyer..was wont to recreat his minde with Tenis-play. 1600 Hosp. Inc. Fooles 95 Iesting Fooles, whose intent is no other, but to recreat and make merrie the world. 1629 Maxwell tr. Herodian (1635) 301 Recreating the people (as he thought) with Chariot-races, stage plaies, feasts and night-shewes. 1712 Pope Let. to Gay 23 Aug., I am very much recreated and refreshed with the news of the advancement. 1784 Sir J. Reynolds Disc. xii. (1884) 209 It is..necessary to intellectual health, that the mind should be recreated and refreshed with a variety in our studies. 1825 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Superann. Man, No busy faces to recreate the idle man who contemplates them ever passing by. 1838 Prescott Ferd. & Is. (1846) I. viii. 361 Some of their sovereigns..were wont to recreate their spirits with elegant poetry. 1890 Spectator 6 Dec., It recreates him to indulge in sayings which leave an impression of rashness and scorn. |
| absol. 1868 Sala Lamb's Wks. I. p. vi, Although he rarely recreated, he never failed to instruct. |
b. refl. To refresh (oneself) with some agreeable occupation or pastime.
| 1530 Palsgr. 681/2, I recreate my selfe with some pastyme or sporte. 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa iii. 165 Sometimes he recreateth himselfe with hunting, and sometime with playing at chesse. 1669 Gale Crt. Gentiles i. iii. iii. 45 God contemplating this new framed Image..rejoiced and recreated himself therein. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 498 ¶1 There are many Illustrious Youths..who frequently recreate themselves by driving of a Hackney-Coach. 1849–50 H. Martineau Hist. Peace iv. xii. III. 158 The Lord Chancellor was recreating himself, after a long stretch of arduous business, with a journey in Scotland. |
† c. To enliven or gratify (a feeling). Obs.
| 1643 Sir T. Browne Relig. Med. i. §13 The other Attribute wherewith I recreate my devotion, is His Wisdom. 1681–6 J. Scott Chr. Life (1747) III. 9 With a Design to mock and ridicule him, and recreate his own inexorable Spleen with the spiteful Pleasure of..repulsing him. |
5. intr. To take recreation. Now chiefly U.S.
| 1587 J. Rider Bibl. Schol. s.v., To recreat, neut. or be delighted with, oblector, acquiesco. 1606 G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Ivstine xxxvi. 115 There is in that seate..a continual shadow to walk and recreat in. 1676 L. Addison State of Jews 117 They suppose the Souls in Purgatory have liberty to recreate. 1874 Helps Soc. Press. xix. (1875) 282 Let us..now recreate, lest we should eat and drink too much at dinner. 1978 Verbatim Winter 6/1 The President plans to recreate on Labor Day. 1979 Sunset Apr. 16/3 (Advt.), Recreate. It's fun in Colorado. For the best in summer fun take yourself and your family away. |
| transf. 1618 Bolton Florus i. xvi. (1636) 46 Here are the lakes Lucrinus and Avernus, bowers of delight for the sea to recreate in. |
† 6. trans. To relieve (an occupation, state, etc.) by means of something of a contrary nature. Obs.
| 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. i. (Arb.) 45 Ernest studie must be recreated with honest pastime. 1597 1st Pt. Return fr. Parnass. iii. i. 974, I have not onlie recreated thy could state with the warmth of my bountie, but also [etc.]. 1621 G. Sandys Ovid's Met. xv. (1626) 304 Ioues sonne..entered Heroick Croton's roofe; a welcome Guest: And his long trauell recreates with rest. 1651–3 Jer. Taylor Serm. for Year (1678) 335 A perpetual full table, not recreated with fasting, not made pleasant with intervening scarcity. |
Hence ˈrecreated ppl. a.1
| 1832 H. Martineau Each & All iv. 47 The recreated statesman finds in either case equal pleasure and repose. 1897 Allbutt's Syst. Med. III. 484 In order to enable the recreated system to throw off the burden. |
▪ II. recreate, v.2
(riːkrɪˈeɪt)
Also re-create.
[f. re- 5 a + create v.]
trans. To create anew.
| 1587 Golding De Mornay Ep. Ded. **ij, Gods wisedome in creating thinges..nor his goodnesse in recreating or renewing them. 1609 J. Davies Holy Roode C iv, Nor was't alone for his owne glorie meer That he did man create, or re-create. 1679 Penn Addr. Prot. ii. v. (1692) 190 They had almost need to be Re-Created in order to be Converted. 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) I. 300 Could Mr. Locke himself imagine that his person was annihilated every night when he went to sleep, and re-created again when he awoke in the morning? 1813 Shelley Q. Mab viii. 107 All things are recreated. 1868 J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. I. 63 Four out of the number were recreated, under the name of Regius professorships. |
| absol. 1860 Pusey Min. Proph. 166 Man..can destroy; he cannot recreate. |
b. To create anew in imagination.
| 1837 Hawthorne Twice-told T. (1851) II. xix. 267 While gazing at a figure of melancholy age, to re-create its youth. 1895 W. M. Ramsay Paul the Trav. i. §3. 17 It is always hard to recreate the remote past. |
Hence recreˈated ppl. a.2, recreˈating vbl. n.2 and ppl. a.2
| 1587 Golding De Mornay xxviii. 524 What counsell wouldest thou giue him for the recreating of thee. 1631 R. Byfield Doctr. Sabb. 207 Our re-creating or Redemption. 1659 Pearson Creed ii. (1839) 165 Where are the recreated ‘principalities and powers’? 1813 Shelley Q. Mab vi. 56 The blood-stained charter.., Which Nature soon, with re⁓creating hand Will blot in mercy from the book of earth. |
▪ III. recreate, ppl. a.
(riːkrɪˈeɪt)
[Cf. prec. and create ppl. a.]
Re-created.
| 1855 Bailey Mystic, Spir. Leg. 134 They.., Through conduct, aspiration and intent Thrice recreate, shall rise. 1877 Ruskin Fors Clav. lxxxiv. 412 The recreate and never to be dissolved order of the perfect earth. |