Etymograph

English

recovery

Recovery comes from Middle English recoveree, from Old French recovree, from recovrer ‘to recover’, and ultimately from Latin recuperō ‘to regain, restore’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErecuperō1as recuperāre‘to regain, restore’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400recovrer2‘recover’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400recovree2
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500recoveree2‘restoration (legal)’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2022recovery2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old French recovrer
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English recovery
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2022, Network News: Further extension to Transport for London emer: “Byford said: "There is no UK recovery from the…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErecuperōWiktionary, Old French recovreras recuperāre‘to regain, restore’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400recovrerWiktionary, English recovery‘recover’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400recovreeWiktionary, English recovery
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500recovereeWiktionary, English recovery‘restoration (legal)’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2022recoveryWiktionary, English recovery. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2022, Network News: Further extension to Transport for London emer: “Byford said: "There is no UK recovery from the…”

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Today it means

noun The act or process of regaining or repossession of something lost.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “recovery”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old French recovrer. 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 recuperō / recovery