Etymograph

English

recover

Recover comes from Anglo-Norman recoverer, and goes back to Latin recupero.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErecupero1as recuperāre
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400recoverer1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500recoveren1‘to become healthy again’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1485recover1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English recover
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, xiiij: “It was neuer in my thoughte saide laūcelot to…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErecuperoWiktionary, English recoveras recuperāre
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400recovererWiktionary, English recover
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500recoverenWiktionary, English recover‘to become healthy again’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1485recoverWiktionary, English recover. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, xiiij: “It was neuer in my thoughte saide laūcelot to…”

Every English word from Latin recupero

Today it means

verb To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “recover”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin recupero / recover

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