Central to these words is the idea or fact of a return to some previous condition, usually but not always, thought of as desirable. Renewal can apply to anything, good, bad or indifferent, that returns, repeats or begins again after a period of lapse: a renewal of the argument or discussion; the renewal of a lease or mortgage; an unexpected renewal of health and spirits.

Rebirth , in the sense of being born again, has only a figurative use. One can speak of a rebirth as well as a renewal of confidence, but a contractual relationship of limited duration, such as a contract, treaty, copyright or patent, is subject only to renewal . The distinction brings out the idea of an innate, self-sustaining vitality in something that had been or long seemed to be dead: a rebirth of hope.

Rejuvenation and rejuvenescence simply mean a renewal of youth. With emphasis upon the recovery of lost or fading strength, vigour, alertness or resilience of body and mind.

• He looked back upon his trip abroad as having provided a veritable rejuvenation ; Disappointment followed his hopes of rejuvenescence after the costly operation.

Recrudescence , derived from a Latin word meaning to become raw or to bleed again, has its primary use among doctors and surgeons to describe a breaking-out afresh, as of a disease, sore or wound that had appeared to be healing. In this unfavourable sense of a relapse, it may properly be applied to the recurrence of anything considered as evil or objectionable: a recrudescence of an epidemic: a recrudescence of Nazism.

Renaissance and renascence are simply formal words for rebirth and are given special rank as descriptive terms in the history of human culture. Renaissance , the more common spelling, is a French form, while renascence comes from Latin roots meaning to be born again. Either can be used for a widespread awakening of interest in some rediscovered aspect of life or learning, and both imply a sense of discovery and an attendant burst of accomplishment: a renaissance in Asian studies; a literary renascence . The renaissance , spelt with an initial capital, refers to that period of vigorous intellectual and artistic awakening in Western Europe extending from about the 14th to the 16th century. This period gave its name to the Renaissance man, full of fresh life, vigour and creativity, whose interest were universal and whose accomplishments were not limited to any one field.