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re·con·noi·ter

(rē′kə-noitər, rĕk′ə-)

v. re·con·noi·tered, re·con·noi·ter·ing, re·con·noi·ters

v.tr.

To make a preliminary examination of (an area or a group, for example), usually by moving around and observing, in order to gather information, especially for military purposes: reconnoitered the enemy positions.

v.intr.

To make a reconnaissance or preliminary examination.

An act of reconnoitering.

[Obsolete French reconnoître, from Old French reconoistre, to recognize; see RECOGNIZE.]

re′con·noiter·er n.

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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