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re·cent

(rēsənt)

adj.

1. Of, belonging to, or occurring at a time immediately before the present.

2. Modern; new.

3. Recent Geology Of, relating to, or being the Holocene Epoch. See Table at geologic time.

[Middle English, new, fresh, from Latin recēns, recent-; see ken- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

recen·cy, recent·ness n.

recent·ly adv.

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.

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