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up vote 17 down vote favorite

I'm wondering if there is a more appropriate term in English that describes a rise of something (like a nation) that has already achieved that status before, like a second rise or re-rise.

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Is there a nation anywhere to which this doesn't apply (i.e. that hasn't been great in the past)? – TimLymington May 17 '12 at 22:49

10 Answers

up vote 28 down vote accepted

We've been known to get some mileage out of the term renaissance. ("Re-nascence", or rebirth.)

In contexts less fraught with pomp and circumstance we would probably speak of a comeback.

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up vote 18 down vote

How about resurrection? From the OED:

…3. Revival or revitalization, esp. of a person who or thing which has fallen into inactivity, disuse, or obscurity; an instance of this.

Another similar option is rebirth:

…2. A revival or renewal of a thing; a new beginning. Also as a mass noun.

2005 Geographical Sept. 80/1 The grim heroism in defiance of Nazi and Soviet horrors and the miraculous rebirth of the modern state.

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3  
I especially like rebirth. – J.R. May 17 '12 at 18:14
up vote 12 down vote

In recent usage, "reascendance" is a more common synonym for "rerise". Unlike some of the other suggestions here, it means exactly rising again, and does not imply starting over.

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Try relevation then. Not to be confused with what happens when something is re-levied. – tchrist May 18 '12 at 1:15
Although I would generally not recommend this for "re-rise", reascendance is particularly appropriate for nations. (Not sure why ascendance is so often used for nations, but it is.) – Rex Kerr May 18 '12 at 16:51
up vote 5 down vote

Yet another general reference question. SIGH!

comeback, reawakening, rebirth, rebound, recovery, rejuvenation, renaissance, renascence, renewal, restoration, resurgence, resurrection, return, revitalization, revival, triumph

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For some countries, recrudescence might be the right word. – jwpat7 May 17 '12 at 20:36
@jwpat7 That one makes me think of assorted crudités in my garden regrowing after a winter die-off. But perhaps that’s the intent. – tchrist May 17 '12 at 22:12
I don't understand why the reference given is a SIGH. – René Nyffenegger May 19 '12 at 6:42
@RenéNyffenegger Because questions answerable with a single link to a standard reference aren’t worth not closing as General Reference. – tchrist May 27 '12 at 14:49
up vote 4 down vote

Poetically, you could say such a nation

rose like a phoenix from the ashes

NOAD

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up vote 4 down vote

If you'll be using this in context, then just say "rose again". As an aside, isn't re-raise used in Poker?

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up vote 3 down vote

"Reawakening" could be a useful word. "Resurrection" is another one.

If it doesn't have to be one word, saying that a specific object "rises again" isn't bad to say.

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up vote 3 down vote

If it's a nation you're referring to, and you don't mind a loanword, "Risorgimento".

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That's "resurgence" in English, which is not the worst word for the purpose either. – chaos May 18 '12 at 15:24
I used the Italian because tcrist already included "resurgence" in his answer, but mainly because it directs the reader to the example of Italy. – JeffSahol May 18 '12 at 15:26
Oh, I see, I missed tcrist's usage. – chaos May 18 '12 at 15:28
up vote 1 down vote

Thinking about how I would describe China as the former and future world leader, I would speak of the return or re-emergence of China as a world leader. I would be comfortable with someone else using reascendance but it would not be my first choice. Google says re-emergence is much more commonly used but I grant that reascendence is more precise.

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I wouldn’t spell reemergence with neither a hyphen nor a diaeresis; re-emergence or the older reëmergence both look better than something that looks like a remerger of some sort. – tchrist May 18 '12 at 1:08
@tchrist, I detest using diereses in English; I hesitate to use one even with naïve. It looks foreign and/or pretentious. I prefer re-emergence to reemergence but due to an issue with Google's Ngram viewer I mistakenly thought I was in a tiny minority. Re-checking, I see I'm not, so I edited my post accordingly. – Old Pro May 18 '12 at 1:53
up vote 0 down vote

Rerise is not a regular or commonly used word. Rise serves both purposes most of the time.

The sun sets, and rises the next morning. You rise from sleep. The Phoenix rises from the ashes.

Similarly, dynasties that fell have risen after decades.

Rise can thus be used, with 'again' if needed.

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