Recover

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈkʌvə/

Definitions

1. To regain something that was lost, stolen, or taken away, or to return to a normal state of health, strength, or functioning
2. To retrieve something that has been lost or to regain one's health and overall well-being after an illness or injury
3. The act of getting back something that was previously lost and restoring a person's physical or mental health after a setback

Etymology: "Recover" carries two separate histories that meet in English. The first runs through Latin "recuperare," meaning to get back or regain, built from "re-" (again, back) and a root tied to taking or obtaining. It reached English through Anglo-Norman and Old French, where it became "recovrer," and it entered Middle English as "recoveren" and "rekeveren." That is why "recover" and "recuperate" are doublets: two forms of one Latin verb that came into English by different routes, with "recuperate" the later, more learned borrowing. The second history is hidden in the word's own spelling. English "cover" comes from Old French "covrir," from Latin "cooperire," meaning to cover completely, and "re-" plus "cover" gives "recover" in the sense of covering again. The two strands seem unrelated today, yet English speakers simply fused the prefix onto a native-looking verb, so the everyday word "recover" seems to contain "cover" even though its meaning owes more to "recuperare."

Synonyms: retrieve, regain, recoup, restore, get back

Antonyms: lose, forfeit