Etymology: < Anglo-Norman recreaciun, recreacione, recreacioun and Middle French recreacion, recreation action or process of creating again or anew (13th cent. in Anglo-Norman), comfort, relaxation (13th cent. in Old French), pleasure, entertainment (mid 14th cent.) (distinguished in form in modern French: French récréation relaxation, amusement, recréation action or process of creating again or anew) and its etymon classical Latin recreātiōn-, recreātiō action or process of restoring (Pliny), in post-classical Latin also spiritual refreshment (4th cent.), relaxation, amusement (4th or 5th cent.; frequently from 13th cent. in British sources), action or process of creating again or anew, new birth (4th or 5th cent.; 12th cent. in a British source) < recreāt- , past participial stem of recreāre recreate v.¹ + -iō -ion suffix¹. Compare re-creation n.², which probably shows a borrowing from the same source, although in modern use it normally shows the pronunciation typical of English formations in re- prefix, and hence is distinct in pronunciation from the present word. Compare also recreate v.¹, recreate v.²Compare Old Occitan recreacio (14th cent.), Catalan recreació (14th cent.), Spanish recreación (14th cent.), Portuguese recreação (14th cent.), Italian ricreazione (a1600); also, in sense ‘action or process of creating again or anew’, Spanish recriación (16th cent.), Portuguese recriação (15th cent.).