rĕ-crĕo, āvi, ātum, v. a.,
I to make or create anew , to remake , reproduce , restore , renew (very rare; syn.: reficio, reparo): lumen, Lucr. 5, 759; 5, 277; cf. id. 5, 323: carnes, Plin. 34, 15, 46, § 155. — Poet.: Athenae recreaverunt vitam legesque rogarunt, transformed , reformed life (by agriculture), Lucr. 6, 3; Lact. 7, 21; Sedul. 4, 289; cf., of baptism, Paul. Nol. C. 21, 465; and, jocosely: illic homo homines non alit, verum educat Recreatque, he does not merely feed men , but fattens and transforms them (by much eating), Plaut. Men. 1, 1, 23. —
II In gen., to restore to a good condition , to revive , refresh , recruit , invigorate in body or mind; and, mid., to become refreshed or recruited , to recover , revive (freq. and class.; syn.: reficio, relevo, erigo, confirmo).
A In body: propterea capitur cibus, ut suffulciat artus Et recreet vires interdatus, Lucr. 4, 868; cf. Plin. 12, 1, 2, § 4: voculam, Cic. Att. 2, 23, 1: ex vulnere, id. Inv. 2, 51, 154; Liv. 29, 18: ex gravi morbo, Cic. Red. ad Quir. 1, 4: aspectu smaragdi recreatur acies, Plin. 37, 5, 16, § 63: lassitudines, id. 22, 13, 15, § 32; cf. defectionem, Tac. A. 6, 50: leni vento umerum, Hor. C. 3, 20, 13: arbor aestivā recreatur aurā, id. ib. 1, 22, 18: tenuatum corpus, id. S. 2, 2, 84: potorem squillis, id. ib. 2, 4, 58: semivivum ex acie elatum, Nep. Eum. 4, 4: fessos maniplos, Sil. 17, 194.—
B In mind: quae (litterae) mihi quiddam quasi animulae restillarunt: recreatum enim me non queo dicere, revivified , Cic. Att. 9, 7, 1: reficere et recreare mentem, id. Planc. 1, 2; so coupled with reficere, id. Mil. 1, 2; cf.: (discipulus) mutatione recreabitur sicut in cibis, quorum diversitate reficitur stomachus, Quint. 1, 12, 5: afflictum erexit, perditumque recreavit, restored again to life , Cic. Imp. Pomp. 9, 23; cf.: provinciam afflictam, et perditam erigere atque recreare, id. Verr. 2, 3, 91, § 212: ego recreavi afflictos animos bonorum, id. Att. 1, 16, 8: res publica revirescat et recreetur, id. Fam. 6, 10, 5: non recreatus neque restitutus populus, id. Rosc. Am. 47, 137: recreatur civitas, id. Rep. 1, 44, 68: (animus) cum se collegit atque recreavit, has recovered itself , id. Tusc. 1, 24, 58: litteris sustentor et recreor, id. Att. 4, 10, 1: Caesarem Pierio recreatis antro, Hor. C. 3, 4, 40: spatium interponendum ad recreandos animos, * Caes. B. C. 3, 74 fin. et saep.: se ex magno timore, Cic. Cat. 3, 4, 8: recreatus ex metu mortis, id. Verr. 2, 5, 61, § 160: ab hoc maerore recreari, id. Att. 12, 14, 2: se ab illo tumore, Auct. B. Alex. 37 fin. : veritas debilitata tandem aequitate talium virorum recreëtur, Cic. Quint. 2, 4.—With gen.: recreatur animi, Ap. Met. 2, 11, 17; 5, 22, 17.