redeem

English

Etymology

Recorded since c.1425, from Middle English redemen, modified from Old French redimer, from Latin redimō (“release; obviate; atone for”), itself from re- (“back; again”) + emō (“buy; gain, take, procure”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈdiːm/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːm
• Hyphenation: re‧deem

Verb

redeem (third-person singular simple present redeems, present participle redeeming, simple past and past participle redeemed)

1. (transitive) To recover ownership of something by buying it back.
2. (transitive) To liberate by payment of a ransom.
3. (transitive) To set free by force.
   • 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 III, scene ii:

     Your Highneſſe needs not doubt but in ſhort time,
     He will with Tamburlaines deſtruction
     Redeeme you from this deadly ſeruitude.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 6:6:

     Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments ...

4. (transitive) To save, rescue
5. (transitive) To clear, release from debt or blame
6. (transitive) To expiate, atone (for)
7. (transitive, finance) To convert (some bond or security) into cash
8. (transitive) To save from a state of sin (and from its consequences).
9. (transitive) To repair, restore
10. (transitive) To reform, change (for the better)
11. (transitive) To restore the honour, worth, or reputation of oneself or something.
12. (transitive, archaic) To reclaim

Synonyms

• (recover ownership): buy back, repurchase

Antonyms

• abandon

Derived terms

Derived terms

• redeemable
• redeemably
• redeemer
• redeem oneself
• unredeemable
• unredeemably
• unredeemed

Related terms

Related terms

• redemption
• redemptioner
• redemptor
• Redemptorist
• redemptory

Translations

to recover ownership of something by paying a sum

• Bulgarian: откупвам (otkupvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 赎回 (zh) (shúhuí)

• Czech: vykoupit, vyplatit (cs)
• Dutch: terugkopen (nl)
• Finnish: lunastaa (fi), ostaa takaisin
• French: racheter (fr)
• German: zurückkaufen (de)
• Irish: fuascail
• Japanese: 買い戻す (kai-modosu)
• Kapampangan: atbus
• Latin: redimō
• Manx: feayshil, aachionnee, kionnee reesht
• Occitan: redimir
• Polish: odkupywać impf, odkupić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: resgatar (pt), redimir (pt)
• Russian: выкупа́ть (ru) impf (vykupátʹ), вы́купить (ru) pf (výkupitʹ)
• Spanish: redimir (es), rescatar (es)
• Turkish: geri almak (tr)

to liberate by payment of ransom

• Bulgarian: откупвам (otkupvam)
• Czech: vykoupit
• Dutch: vrijkopen (nl)
• Esperanto: elaĉeti
• Finnish: maksaa lunnaat
• German: loslösen (de), freikaufen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: λυτροω (lutroō)

• Irish: fuascail
• Latin: redimō
• Occitan: redimir
• Polish: odkupywać impf, odkupić (pl) pf
• Russian: выкупа́ть (ru) impf (vykupátʹ), вы́купить (ru) pf (výkupitʹ)
• Turkish: kurtarmak (tr)

to set free by force

• Bulgarian: освобождавам (bg) (osvoboždavam)
• Dutch: bevrijden (nl)
• Finnish: vapauttaa (fi)
• French: libérer (fr)
• German: befreien (de)
• Irish: fuascail
• Occitan: desliurar (oc), liberar (oc)
• Portuguese: libertar (pt)
• Spanish: liberar (es), libertar (es)
• Swedish: befriar (sv)
• Turkish: kurtarmak (tr)

to save, rescue, recover

• Bulgarian: спасявам (bg) (spasjavam)
• Czech: vykoupit
• Dutch: redden (nl), verlossen (nl)
• Finnish: pelastaa (fi)
• French: secourir (fr)
• German: befreien (de)
• Greek: εξαγοράζω (el) (exagorázo)
• Occitan: redimir, rescaptar
• Portuguese: resgatar (pt)
• Spanish: rescatar (es)
• Swedish: rädda (sv)
• Vietnamese: cứu chuộc, chuộc (vi)

to clear, release from debt or blame

• Czech: vykoupit
• Finnish: vapauttaa (fi)
• French: libérer (fr), soulager (fr)
• Occitan: redimir
• Portuguese: redimir (pt)
• Spanish: redimir (es)

to expiate, atone for

• Bulgarian: изкупвам (bg) (izkupvam)
• Czech: vykoupit
• Dutch: uitboeten (nl)
• Esperanto: elaĉeti
• Finnish: sovittaa (fi)
• Portuguese: redimir-se
• Spanish: redimirse (es)
• Swedish: gottgöra (sv), sona (sv)

to convert into cash

• Bulgarian: осребрявам (bg) (osrebrjavam)
• Catalan: bescanviar (ca)
• Czech: proplatit
• Dutch: afbetalen (nl), aflossen (nl), inlossen (nl), omzetten (nl), uitboeten (nl), vrijkopen (nl), genoegdoen
• Finnish: lunastaa (fi)
• French: (informal) liquider (fr)
• German: einlösen (de)
• Greek: εξαργυρώνω (el) (exargyróno)
• Irish: fuascail
• Polish: spieniężać
• Russian: обнали́чивать (ru) (obnalíčivatʹ)
• Slovene: vnovčiti
• Spanish: canjear (es)

to repair, restore

• Dutch: herstellen (nl)
• Finnish: korjata (fi)
• French: réparer (fr), rétablir (fr)
• German: wiederherstellen (de)
• Swedish:återställa
• Turkish: eski duruma döndürmek, tadilat yapmak

to change for the better, reform

• Finnish: uudistaa (fi)
• French: améliorer (fr), réformer (fr)
• German: verbessern (de)
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: улучша́ться (ru) impf (ulučšátʹsja), улу́чшиться (ru) pf (ulúčšitʹsja)
• Turkish: iyileştirmek (tr)

to save from a state of sin

• Czech: vykoupit
• Finnish: lunastaa (fi), vapahtaa (fi), armahtaa (fi), pelastaa (fi)
• German: erlösen (de)
• Hebrew: גָּאַל (he) (ga'ál)
• Irish: slánaigh
• Italian: redimere (it)
• Japanese: あがなう (ja) (aganau)
• Occitan: redimir
• Polish: odkupywać impf, odkupić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: redimir (pt)
• Russian: искупа́ть (ru) impf (iskupátʹ), искупи́ть (ru) pf (iskupítʹ)
• Spanish: redimir (es)
• Swedish: frälsa (sv)
• Turkish: arıtmak (tr), temizlemek (tr)

to restore the reputation, honour of ...

• Finnish: palauttaa kunnia
• French: racheter (fr)
• German: (Ruf) wiederherstellen (de)
• Japanese: 回復する (kaifuku-suru)
• Portuguese: redimir (pt)
• Russian: обеля́ть (ru) impf (obeljátʹ), обели́ть (ru) pf (obelítʹ)
• Spanish: redimir (es)
• Turkish: aklamak (tr), temize çıkarmak (tr)

to reclaim — see reclaim

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 贖回／赎回 (zh) (shúhuí), ^{(please verify)} 赎回 (zh) (shúhuí)
• German: ^{(please verify)} erlösen (de), ^{(please verify)} ablösen (de), ^{(please verify)} tilgen (de), ^{(please verify)} zurückkaufen (de), ^{(please verify)} freikaufen (de)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} riacquistare
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} redimir (es)

Anagrams

• deemer, reemed

Galician

Verb

redeem

1. (reintegrationist norm) inflection of redar:
   1. third-person plural present subjunctive
   2. third-person plural imperative

Portuguese

Verb

redeem

1. inflection of redar:
   1. third-person plural present subjunctive
   2. third-person plural imperative