Recuperate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈk(j)uːpəˌɹeɪt/

Definitions

1. To regain health or strength after illness or fatigue
2. The process of getting better physically or mentally following a period of difficulty or sickness
3. To restore one’s vitality or well-being after experiencing injury or exhaustion

Etymology: Latin "recuperare" meant "get back again," and it is a close relative of the English word "recover." Both come from the same Latin root, a fact that surprises many people, since they seem to mean such different things. The Latin verb "reciperare" was built from "re-" ("back, again") and "capere" ("take, seize"), so its core idea was taking something back. English took "recover" through Old French, while "recuperate" was borrowed directly from the Latin form "recuperare," a doublet pair that split into two English words with different routes. The meaning stayed close to the original sense for centuries. Only the sense of getting back something lost, such as one's strength or property, was carried over, and "recuperate" narrowed to the recovery of health. Its pronunciation also shifted: the /j/ sound in the modern form may have been influenced by "recoup," a verb meaning to make good a loss, which is an unrelated word with a separate origin.

Synonyms: recover, convalesce, heal, regain, rehabilitate

Antonyms: deteriorate, worsen, decline, fail, sicken