Etymologically
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récupérer

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁe.ky.pe.ʁe/[1]

Forms

récupérer[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin recuperō (“to regain, recover possession of”),[2][3][4][5] the Latin verb whose inherited outcome is recouvrer, a doublet.[3][6][1] The GLLF relates it to recipiō (“to take back, receive”).[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first used as soi recuperer “to take refuge” in the French Histoire des Normands of Aimé du Mont-Cassin (late 13th or early 14th century);[2][3][7] the sense “to regain possession of something” appears about 1495, in Jean de Vignay's Miroir historial.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word was absent from dictionaries until the Académie of 1762 and seems still rare in the 19th century, when se récupérer “to recoup one's losses” appears.[3][8] It became common again in the 20th century.[3] With santé or forces it took the place of recouvrer in everyday use (1936, Roger Martin du Gard), and used alone it is a little older (1897); in sport it is “to recover one's strength”.[3][7][9] It also came to mean “to make up (lost working time)” (1939) and “to collect for reuse”, probably first in 1940 of the metals needed for the war effort.[3]

With a person as object it is familiar for “to get (someone) back, pick up” (1922).[3][7] More recently it means “to rehabilitate (someone) into working life”, and in politics, from 1966, “to take over (a movement, an idea) for one's own ends”.[3][7] récupération is older than the verb, from 1356.[4]

Timeline

  • Early 14th century – Soi recuperer “to take refuge”.[2]
  • 1356 – Récupération.[4]
  • c. 1495 – “To regain possession of”.[2]
  • 1762 – First recorded by the Académie.[8]
  • 1897 – Absolute “to recover”.[3]
  • 1922 – “To get (someone) back”.[7]
  • 1939 – Making up lost working time.[3]
  • 1966 – Political “to take over”.[7]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To get back, recover (something lent or lost): récupérer ses affaires, un livre prêté.[10][1]
  2. To recover (one's strength, sleep); absolutely, to recuperate: Quelques jours de vacances pour récupérer.[10][1]
  3. To collect for reuse, to salvage; to reclaim.[3][1]
  4. To make up (lost working time).[3][1]
  5. (familiar) To pick up (someone): récupérer un enfant à la sortie de l'école.[10]
  6. To rehabilitate (someone).[1][3]
  7. To take over, co-opt (an idea, a movement) for one's own ends.[1][7]

Word family

  • récupérable
  • récupération
  • recouvrer

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 167a
  6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  10. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert