reboot

Etymology

re- + boot

noun

1. (computing) An instance of rebooting.
2. (by extension) A fresh start.
   That’s why we don’t just need a bailout. We need a reboot. We need a build out. We need a buildup. We need a national makeover. 2008-12-24, Thomas L. Friedman, “Time to Reboot America”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
   Other reboots of beloved restaurants, like the Four Seasons, have failed. 2020-02-14, Florence Fabricant, “The Beloved West Village Restaurant Barbuto Gets a Reboot”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
3. (narratology) The restarting of a series' storyline, discarding all previous continuity.
4. (widely considered a misuse) The restarting of a series' storyline without discarding previous continuity.
   Coordinate term: remake
   HBO Max has issued a straight-to-series order for “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin,” a reboot of the original Freeform series... “We’re such huge fans of what I. Marlene King and her iconic cast created, we knew that we had to treat the original series as #CANON" Sep 24, 2020, “Pretty Little Liars Reboot Ordered To Series at HBO Max”, in Variety
   As well as Ari Parker’s starring role, the reboot will introduce three characters played by people of colour, with Sara Ramirez, Karen Pittman and Sarita Choudhury to join the quartet. 2021-08-22, Clea Skopeliti, “Nicole Ari Parker to join Sex and the City reboot in place of Kim Cattrall”, in The Guardian

verb

1. (computing, transitive, intransitive) To execute a computer's boot process, effectively resetting the computer and causing the operating system to reload, possibly after a system failure.
   We need to reboot the system after installing these updates.
   The system reboots every weekend after updates are installed.
   NASA is once again trying to reboot the Hubble Space Telescope, agency officials said. The telescope’s instruments have been shut down since the end of September, when a router that formats science data for transmission to the ground had an electrical failure. 2008-10-24, Dennis Overbye, “Another Effort to Reboot Telescope”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
2. (by extension) To start afresh.
   They rebooted the TV series, but it's even worse than the original.
   What are the first steps to rebooting your business? May 21, 2013, Dan Schawbel, “Mitch Joel: How To Reboot Your Business And Your Life”, in Forbes
   As the Republican National Convention kicks off Monday, Donald Trump has a tremendous opportunity to rebrand and reboot his campaign, to make it look and feel more professional and less petulant. 2016-07-18, Charles M. Blow, “Trump’s Chance to Reboot”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
3. Restart; to return to a an initial configuration or state.
   Egg farmers do this to reboot birds' internal clocks so they start laying valuable eggs faster and, crucially, at the same time. 2011, J. Morris Hicks, Healthy Eating, Healthy World, page 119