Reconqueror

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Someone who takes back a territory or position by conquest after having lost it earlier
2. A person who wins back control of land or a place through military victory once more
3. The individual who regains possession of a region by force after an earlier defeat or loss

Etymology: "Reconqueror" is formed from the verb "reconquer" plus the agent suffix "-or," meaning one who conquers again. The verb "reconquer" is itself built from the prefix "re-," meaning again, and "conquer," which came into English from Old French "conquerre," from Latin "conquaerere," meaning to acquire or obtain thoroughly. The sense of the root is thus less about violence than about getting something completely through effort. The word's usefulness lies in its specific application: it names someone who takes back territory that was previously lost to an enemy, as opposed to a first-time conqueror. Historians use it especially for leaders who drove out foreign rulers and restored a former political order, though the term is often applied to figures in medieval Spain, the Byzantine Empire, and elsewhere.

Synonyms: liberator

Antonyms: invader