# reconstruction

Pronunciation: say "ree-kuhn-STRUK-shuhn" US /ˌɹikənˈstɹʌkʃən/, UK /ˌɹiːkənˈstɹʌkʃən/; AUS say "ree-kuhn-STRAK-shuhn" /ˌɹiːkənˈstɹakʃən/

## Noun

1. The work of rebuilding something or returning it to the condition it was in before.
   - Simple: The work of putting something back the way it was before.
   - _Reconstruction of the bridge began as soon as the floodwaters receded._
   - _The reconstruction effort drew volunteers from across the state._
2. A rebuilt or re-created version of something as it once was, such as a model of an ancient building.
   - Simple: Something that has been built again or fixed so it looks the way it did before.
   - _The exhibit centers on a meticulous reconstruction of a Roman bathhouse._
   - _Archaeologists displayed reconstructions of the tools found at the site._
3. A re-enactment or retelling of the events thought to have led up to a particular outcome.
   - Simple: Showing or telling again the steps that may have led to an event, like an accident.
   - _Detectives staged a reconstruction of the crash to test the driver's account._
   - _The documentary's reconstruction of the final hours drew heavily on diary entries._
4. A model representing an unattested unit of language, such as a phoneme, a morpheme, or a word, worked out by comparing related languages.
   - Simple: A careful guess at a word or sound from an old language that was never written down.
   - _Linguists proposed a reconstruction of the Proto-Indo-European word for 'wheel'._
   - _Dictionaries print reconstructions with an asterisk to show the forms are not attested in any text._

## Origin

Formed from the prefix re- ('again') and construction.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/reconstruction (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).