Recuperative

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Concerning the ability to restore health and energy
2. Related to the processes that promote recovery from physical or mental exhaustion
3. Helping to regain physical or mental well-being after fatigue or illness

Etymology: Recuperative comes from the Latin verb "recuperare," meaning to recover or get back what was lost, built from "re-" (back, again) and "capere" (to take). The same root gives English "capture," "receive," and "capacity," which is a useful clue that this word is about taking something back into one's possession. The verb "recuperate" was borrowed into English in the early 1600s, and the adjective "recuperative" followed in the 1600s as well, with the physical sense of healing and restoration coming to the fore later. The adjective is a plain formation: the verb "recuperate" plus the suffix "-ive," which turns a verb into an adjective meaning "tending to" or "having the power to" do the action. So a recuperative diet or recuperative holiday is one that tends to restore strength. Medical writers picked up the word for rest cures and convalescence, which is why it sounds clinical today.

Synonyms: restorative, healing, rehabilitative, renewing, revitalizing

Antonyms: damaging, injurious