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awaken

[ uh-wey-kuh n ]
/ əˈweɪ kən /
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verb (used with or without object)

to awake; waken.

RELATED WORDS

rouse, rejuvenate, enliven, arouse, awaken, rekindle, restore, repair, strengthen, relieve, brighten, renovate, revitalize, rally, resuscitate, animate, recover, quicken, console, solace

Nearby words

  1. awa',
  2. awacs,
  3. await,
  4. awaji,
  5. awake,
  6. awakening,
  7. award,
  8. award wage,
  9. awardee,
  10. aware

Origin of awaken

before 900; Middle English awak(e)nen, Old English awæcnian earlier onwæcnian. See a-1, waken
Related formsa·wak·en·a·ble, adjectivea·wak·en·er, nounre·a·wak·en, verbwell-a·wak·ened, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for reawaken

British Dictionary definitions for reawaken

reawaken

/ (ˌriːəˈweɪkən) /

verb

to emerge or rouse from sleep
to become or make aware of (something) again
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for reawaken

awaken

v.

Old English awæcnan (intransitive), "to spring into being, arise, originate," also, less often, "to wake up;" earlier onwæcnan, from a- (1) "on" + wæcnan (see waken). Transitive meaning "to rouse from sleep" is recorded from 1510s; figurative sense of "to stir up, rouse to activity" is from c.1600.

Originally strong declension (past tense awoc, past participle awacen), already in Old English it was confused with awake (v.) and a weak past tense awæcnede (modern awakened) emerged and has since become the accepted form, with awoke and awoken transferred to awake. Subtle shades of distinction determine the use of awake or awaken in modern English. Related: Awakening.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper