What does revegetated mean?
Revegetated describes land that has been covered with vegetation again after previously being cleared, damaged, or disturbed. The word can be used adjectivally, as in “the revegetated hillside,” or as the past tense and past participle of revegetate, as in “the hillside was revegetated with native grasses.” Its appearance usually indicates ecological restoration: replacing removed vegetation, encouraging regrowth, or returning disturbed land to a greener condition. The term is most familiar in environmental science, conservation, mining and construction restoration, and land-management contexts. It differs from vegetated because it specifically implies a second or renewed covering of plants. Although revegetation can occur naturally through seed dispersal or regrowth, revegetated areas are also commonly restored deliberately by planting native species and improving soil conditions. The word conveys recovery and ecological repair, often with an emphasis on restoring native or sustainable plant communities.
verb (past tense and past participle)Revegetated means covered with vegetation again, especially after an area was cleared, damaged, or disturbed. It can also describe the process of restoring plant growth to an area.
- Covered with vegetation again after clearing, damage, or other disturbance.
- Restored to a vegetated condition by planting or natural regeneration.
"Native grasses were planted, and the disturbed hillside soon became revegetated."
"The abandoned mine was revegetated with native shrubs and grasses."
"By spring, the burned field had become largely revegetated."
The prefix re- adds the important twist: the land is not merely vegetated, but vegetated for a second time.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does revegetated come from?
Revegetated was formed in English by combining the prefix re-, meaning “again,” with vegetate, a word borrowed through Latin from the root vegetare, “to grow” or “to cause to grow.” The same Latin family also produced vegetation, vegetative, and vegetal in English. The prefixed form developed to express the renewed growth of vegetation on land that had been cleared or degraded.
Related word forms
How revegetated is actually used
This form is especially common in environmental science, ecology, land management, and restoration planning. As a participle it is more common than as a standalone past-tense verb.
Easily confused with revegetated
Vegetated means covered with vegetation, while revegetated means covered with vegetation again after that cover was lost or disturbed.