What does resuscitation mean?
Resuscitation means restoring a person to life or consciousness when breathing or circulation has stopped or become critically impaired. In emergency medicine, it includes procedures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which combines chest compressions with assisted breathing to maintain blood flow and oxygen until further treatment is possible. The word is also used figuratively when discussing the revival of an economy, career, discussion, or institution, usually with the suggestion that activity or significance has been restored after a decline. This figurative use should not imply that the original difficulty has disappeared permanently. Although resuscitation can sound like the act of returning someone from death, its medical purpose is generally to support vital functions and create an opportunity for recovery. The term is formal and technically precise, so ordinary expressions such as revival or bringing back to life may be more natural in informal contexts.
nounThe process of restoring someone to life or consciousness, especially after cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, or unconsciousness. It may also refer to the revival of an activity, interest, or effort.
- The restoration of life, consciousness, breathing, or circulation in a person who is unconscious, in cardiac arrest, or otherwise in a critical condition.
- The revival or renewed activity of something that had declined, such as an economy, discussion, or institutional role.
"The team began resuscitation as soon as the patient reached the hospital."
"CPR was performed until the patient regained a normal heartbeat."
"The campaign saw a remarkable resuscitation of interest among young voters."
The plural is used for separate acts or instances of resuscitation, especially when describing medical interventions or comparative outcomes.
"The documentary included accounts of successful resuscitations in remote communities."
Modern resuscitation does not literally raise the dead: it restores or supports breathing and circulation, giving someone a chance to recover.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does resuscitation come from?
Resuscitation entered English in the early 17th century from the Latin noun resuscitatio, meaning a rousing or awakening again. Latin resuscitare combined re-, meaning again, with suscitare, meaning to rouse or stir up. More distant English cognates including citation, incitation, recitation, and excitation ultimately derive from the Latin verb citare, meaning to call or summon.
Related word forms
How resuscitation is actually used
Resuscitation is a formal term common in medicine, emergency services, and public-safety training. In figurative use, it often suggests that something previously inactive or declining has been restored, though it can occasionally carry the connotation of an incomplete or temporary revival.
Easily confused with resuscitation
Resuscitation is the process of restoring or supporting a person's breathing and circulation, whereas a resuscitator is a device or person that performs or assists with that process.