# reform

Pronunciation: US say "ree-FORM" /ˌɹiːˈfɔɹm/; UK say "ree-FAWM" /ˌɹiːˈfɔːm/

## Noun

1. A change made to something faulty or harmful in order to correct or improve it.
   - Simple: A change made to fix something that is broken or working badly.
   - _The government promised sweeping reform of the tax system._
   - _Critics argued that real reform would require dismantling the entire agency._

## Verb

2. To change something into a better form or condition, bringing it from a worse state to a good one.
   - Simple: To change something bad or broken into something better.
   - _The committee set out to reform an electoral process that few still trusted._
   - _Lawmakers reformed the banking sector to prevent another collapse._
3. To improve one's own character or habits, returning to a good way of living.
   - Simple: To change your own bad behavior and start acting better.
   - _The gambler swore he would reform and never bet again._
   - _Many offenders reform once they have support and a stable home._
4. To form something again, or to come together once more in a new arrangement.
   - Simple: To come together again, or make something into a new shape.
   - _The crew will reform the steel beams into a sturdier frame._
   - _Storm clouds reform over the bay each afternoon._

## Origin

The word comes from Latin "reformo, reformare," which passed into Old French as "reformer" and then into Middle English as "reformen." As a noun it has been used since the 1660s, from French "réforme."

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