noun / proper noun
reconstruction
ree-kuhn-STRUK-shun/ˌriːkənˈstrʌkʃn/
The rebuilding of something to recover an earlier form.
The bridge's reconstruction adds a new stone arch beside the original remnants.
Etymology
Reconstruction names the process of building again. The underlying verb also came to mean restoring something in the mind, so the rebuilding can be a mental recreation rather than physical construction.
In context
reconstruction of Coventry Cathedral and in particular it's the new self-consciously modern Cathedral immediately adjacent to the ruins of the old that were destroyed in the blitz of 1940
More examples
- The bridge's reconstruction follows the original plans.
- Witness accounts help detectives create a reconstruction of the accident.
- Reconstruction brought major political changes to the South after the Civil War.
Forms
reconstruction · reconstructions
reconstruct verb — To rebuild or recreate an earlier form.
Similar words
- restoration
- Often emphasizes returning existing material to its former condition.
- rebuilding
- Emphasizes physical construction again, without necessarily matching an earlier form.