Wiktionary

reclaim

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English reclaymen, recleymen, reclamen, from Anglo-Norman reclamer (noun reclaim and Middle French reclamer (noun reclaim), from Latin reclāmō, reclāmāre.

Pronunciation edit

verb
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɹɪˈkleɪm/, /ɹiːˈkleɪm/
    • Audio (Southern England)(file)
noun

Verb edit

reclaim (third-person singular simple present reclaims, present participle reclaiming, simple past and past participle reclaimed)

  2. (transitive) To return land to a suitable condition for use.
  3. (transitive) To obtain useful products from waste; to recycle.
  4. (transitive) To claim something back; to repossess.
  5. (transitive, dated) To return someone to a proper course of action, or correct an error; to reform.
    • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii:
      His Highneſſe pleaſure is that he ſhould liue,
      And be reclaim’d with princely lenitie.
    • 1609, Edward Hoby, A Letter to Mr. T[heophilus] H[iggons], late Minister: now Fugitive ... in answere of his first Motive:
      Your errour, in time reclaimed, will be veniall.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
      They, hardened more by what might most reclaim, / Grieving to see his glory […] took envy.
    • a. 1729, John Rogers, The Goodness of God a Motive to Repentance:
      It is the intention of Providence, in all the various expressions of his goodness, to reclaim mankind.
  6. (transitive, archaic) To tame or domesticate a wild animal.
  7. (transitive, archaic) To call back from flight or disorderly action; to call to, for the purpose of subduing or quieting.
    • 1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
      They were the head-strong horses, who hurried Octavius […] along, and were deaf to his reclaiming them.
  8. (transitive, archaic) To cry out in opposition or contradiction; to exclaim against anything; to contradict; to take exceptions.
    • 1719, Daniel Waterland, A Vindication of Christ's Divinit:
      Scripture reclaims, and the whole Catholic church reclaims, and Christian ears would not bear it.
    • 1882, Alexander Bain, Biography of James Mill:
      At a later period Grote reclaimed strongly against Mill's setting Whately above Hamilton.
    • 1642, Thomas Fuller, The Holy State, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Roger Daniel for John Williams, […], →OCLC:
      True it is he was very wild in his youth till God (the best Chymick who can fix quicksilver it self) gratiously reclaim'd him
  9. (obsolete, rare) To draw back; to give way.
  10. (intransitive, law, Scotland) To appeal from the Lord Ordinary to the inner house of the Court of Session.
  11. (sociology) To bring back a term into acceptable usage, usually of a slur, and usually by the group that was once targeted by that slur.
    Once a term of homophobic abuse, the term “queer” has been reclaimed as a marker for some gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT), and other marginalized sexual identities.

Related terms edit

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kelh₁-‎ (0 c, 49 e)

Translations edit

to obtain useful product from waste — see recycle
to tame or domesticate a wild animal — see tame

Noun edit

reclaim (plural reclaims)

  1. (obsolete, falconry) The calling back of a hawk.
  2. (obsolete) The bringing back or recalling of a person; the fetching of someone back.
  3. An effort to take something back, to reclaim something.
  4. baggage reclaim

Derived terms edit

Anagrams edit

Old French edit

Noun edit

reclaim oblique singular, m (oblique plural reclains, nominative singular reclains, nominative plural reclaim)

  1. reputation

Descendants edit

  • English: reclaim

References edit

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