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re·cov·er (rĭ-kŭvər)
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v. re·cov·ered, re·cov·er·ing, re·cov·ers
v.tr.
1.
a. To get back (something lost or taken away), especially by making an effort: recovered his keys near the water cooler; recovered the ball in the end zone.
b. To search for, find, and bring back: divers recovered the body; researchers recovering fossils.
c. To get back control or possession of (land) by military conquest or legal action.
2.
a. To have (the use, possession, or control of something) restored: recovered the use of his fingers.
b. To regain the use of (a faculty) or be restored to (a normal or usual condition): recovered his wits after hearing the news; recovered his health after treatment.
c. To cause to be restored to a normal or usual condition: After two weeks on the medicine, he was fully recovered.
3. To discover or be able to follow (a trail or scent) after losing it.
4.
a. To procure (usable substances, such as metal) from unusable substances, such as ore or waste.
b. To bring (land) into or return to a suitable condition for use; reclaim.
5. To bring under observation again: "watching the comet since it was first recoveredfirst spotted since its 1910 visit" (Christian Science Monitor).
v.intr.
1. To regain a normal or usual condition, as of health: a patient who recovered from the flu; businesses that recovered quickly from the recession.
2. To receive a favorable judgment in a lawsuit.

[Middle English recoveren, from Old French recoverer, from Latin recuperāre; see RECUPERATE.]

re·cover·a·ble adj.
re·cover·er n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.