"to bring into being," early 15c., from Latin creatus, past participle of creare "to make, bring forth, produce, procreate, beget, cause," related to Ceres and to crescere "arise, be born, increase, grow," from PIE root *ker- (2) "to grow." De Vaan writes that the original meaning of creare "was 'to make grow', which can still be found in older texts ...." Related: Created; creating.

also re-create, "to create anew, make again," 1580s, from re- "back, again," here, "repetition of an action," + create. Related: Recreated; recreating.

1670s, "having the quality or function of creating," from create + -ive. Of literature and art, "imaginative," from 1816, first attested in Wordsworth. Creative writing is attested by 1848. Related: Creatively.

c. 1300, "the Supreme Being, God considered as the creator of the universe" (also "the communion elements; a crucifix"), from Anglo-French creatour, Old French creator (12c., academic and liturgical, alongside popular creere, Modern French créateur), from Latin creator "creator, author, founder," from creatus (see create). Translated in Old English as scieppend (from verb scieppan; see shape (v.)). Not generally capitalized until KJV. General meaning "one who creates" in any sense is from 1570s. Fem. form creatress is from 1580s (Spenser); creatrix from 1590s.

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to grow."

It forms all or part of: accretion; accrue; cereal; Ceres; concrete; create; creation; creature; Creole; crescendo; crescent; crew (n.) "group of soldiers;" croissant; cru; decrease; Dioscuri; excrescence; excrescent; griot; increase; Kore; procerity; procreate; procreation; recreate; recreation; recruit; sincere.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek kouros "boy," korē "girl;" Latin crescere "come forth, spring up, grow, thrive, swell," Ceres, goddess of agriculture, creare "to bring forth, create, produce;" Armenian serem "bring forth," serim "be born."

"create by photosynthesis; carry out photosynthesis," 1910, from photosynthesis + -ize. Related: Photosynthesized; photosynthesizing.

"dam to check the flow of a stream and create a fall to furnish power for turning a mill-wheel," 12c., mulnedam; see mill (n.1) + dam (n.).

late 14c., recreacioun, "refreshment or curing of a person, refreshment by eating," from Old French recreacion (13c.), from Latin recreationem (nominative recreatio) "recovery from illness," noun of action from past participle stem of recreare "to refresh, restore, make anew, revive, invigorate," from re- "again" (see re-) + creare "create" (from PIE root *ker- (2) "to grow"). Meaning "refresh oneself by some amusement" is first recorded c. 1400.

A verb recreate "to refresh by physical influence after exertion" is attested from 15c. and was used by Lyly, Pope, Steele, and Harriet Martineau, but it did not take, probably to avoid confusion to the eye with the recreate (re-create) that means "create anew." Hence also recreation (re-creation) "a new creationm regeneration" (early 15c.); "act of creating anew" (1520s).