Advertisement

Origin and history of resume

resume(v.)

c. 1400, resumen, "repossess, resume possession" (of goods, money, etc.); early 15c., "regain, take back, take to oneself anew" (courage, strength, hope, etc.); from Old French resumer (14c.) and directly from Latin resumere "take again, take up again, assume again," from re- "again" (denoting "repetition of an action;" see re-) + sumere "to take, obtain, buy," from sus‑, variant of sub‑ "up from under" + emere "to take" (from PIE root *em- "to take, distribute").

From mid-15c. as "recommence, continue (a practice, custom, occupation, etc.), begin again after interruption;" also "begin again." The intransitive sense of "proceed after interruption" is from 1802. Related: Resumed; resuming.

resume(n.)

also résumé, 1804, "a summary, summing up, recapitulation," from French résumé, noun use of past participle of resumer "to sum up," from Latin resumere "take again, take up again" (see resume (v.)). Meaning "biographical summary of a person's career" is 1940s.

also from 1804

Entries linking to resume

resumable(adj.)

"capable of being taken back or up again," 1640s, from resume (v.) + -able.

resumption(n.)

mid-15c., resumpcion, "repossessing (by royal authority) of lands, goods, etc., previously granted to someone," a feudal term, from Old French resumption, resompcion, and directly from Medieval Latin resumptionem (nominative resumptio) "a taking up again," noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin resumere "take again, take up again, assume again" (see resume (v.)). The general sense of "act of resuming; a taking up or commencing again" is from 1580s. In 19c. U.S. history, "a return to specie payments by the government."

Advertisement

More to explore

sketch
1660s, scetch, "rough drawing intended to serve as the basis for a finished picture," from Dutch schets or Low German skizze, both apparently being 17c. artists' borrowings from Italian schizzo "sketch, drawing." This is commonly said to be from Latin *schedius (OED compares sche
survey
c. 1400, surveien, "consider, contemplate," from Anglo-French surveier, Old French sorveoir "look (down) at, look upon, notice; guard, watch," from Medieval Latin supervidere "oversee, inspect," from Latin super "over" (see super-) + videre "to see" (from PIE root *weid- "to see"
renew
.; from re- "again" + Middle English newen, neuen "resume, revive, renew" (see new)....
recognize
early 15c., recognisen, "resume possession of land," a back-formation from recognizance, or else from Old French reconoiss...
refrain
The notion is of something that causes a song to "break off" then resume. OED says not common before 19c....
new
English (niwian, neowian) and Middle English (neuen) "make, invent, create; bring forth, produce, bear fruit; begin or resume...
overtake
"to come up to, catch up with, catch in pursuit," early 13c., from over- + take (v.). According to OED (1989), originally "the running down and catching of a fugitive or beast of chase"; the editors find the sense of over- in this word "not so clear." The meaning "take by surpris
change
c. 1200, "to alter, make different, change" (transitive); early 13c. as "to substitute one for another;" mid-13c. as "to make (something) other than what it was, cause to turn or pass from one state to another;" from late 13c. as "to become different, be altered" (intransitive),
assume
early 15c., "to arrogate, take upon oneself," from Latin assumere, adsumere "to take up, take to oneself, take besides, obtain in addition," from ad "to, toward, up to" (see ad-) + sumere "to take," from sub "under" (see sub-) + emere "to take" (from PIE root *em- "to take, distr
starter
c. 1400, stertour "one who or that which starts; instigator," agent noun from start (v.). The meaning "one who gives the signal to start a race" is by 1620s. The mechanical sense of "apparatus for activating a machine" is from 1875. The U.S. sports sense of "player who starts the

Share resume

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near resume
Advertisement