Recapture

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To obtain or regain possession of something that was previously lost or taken away, or to recreate or restore a particular feeling, moment, or quality from the past
2. To regain control over an item that was lost or taken, to recreate a bygone experience or emotion, or to restore a previous state or essence to its original form
3. To take back something that was once lost or seized ; to bring back or revive an earlier emotion or experience

Etymology: "Recapture" is a plain compound: the prefix "re-", meaning "back" or "again," attached to "capture." The "capture" part is the more interesting half. It came into English from Old French "capture," which descends from Latin "captura," a noun built on "capere," "to take" or "to seize." That same Latin root gave English "capacious," "accept," and "receive," all of which keep the sense of taking hold of something. The prefix has its own lineage. The "re-" element goes back through Latin "re-" and ultimately to a Proto-Italic root, and in English it became a productive prefix that could be attached to almost any verb to mean a return to an earlier state or a repetition of an action. Put together, "recapture" means to take back what was lost or seized, and by extension to bring back a past feeling or experience, as in recapturing the excitement of childhood. The word is recorded in English by the late Middle Ages, when the "re-" prefix was being combined freely with borrowed French and Latin verbs.

Synonyms: reclaim, retrieve, get back, regain, recover

Antonyms: lose, surrender, forfeit, abandon, discard