recreation

The word “recreation” means an activity done for enjoyment or relaxation rather than work. In plain terms, leisure activities done for fun, or a faithful copy of something original.

“Recreation” is pronounced rehk-ree-AY-shuhn (/ˌɹɛkɹiˈeɪʃən/ in IPA).

Here is “recreation” used in a sentence: “Hiking is his favorite form of recreation on weekends.”

“Recreation” is a noun.

The word “recreation” comes from Latin. From Old French recreacion, from Latin recreatio, "restoration, refreshment.".

“Recreation” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Recreation” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an activity done for enjoyment or relaxation rather than work.

Recreation, without a hyphen, usually means activity done for enjoyment or relaxation, and its first syllable sounds like "wreck". Re-creation, with a hyphen, means the act of making something again, and its first syllable sounds like "ree". Writers add the hyphen precisely to signal the "making again" sense.

Leisure is the free time itself — the hours when you are not working — while recreation refers to the activities you do for enjoyment during that time. Reading, sport, and gaming are forms of recreation typically enjoyed in your leisure time.

In the leisure sense, recreation is normally uncountable: "The park is used for recreation." In the sense of making something again, it is countable: "The museum displays a recreation of a Viking ship."

A recreation ground is a public open space, common in Britain, set aside for sport and play, while a recreation centre (center in American English) is a building offering facilities for leisure activities. Both use recreation in its main sense: activity done for enjoyment rather than work.