Dictionary

reclaim en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɹiːkleɪm/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English reclaymen, recleymen, reclamen, from Anglo-Norman reclamer (noun reclaim and Middle French reclamer (noun reclaim), from Latin reclāmō, reclāmāre. Equivalent to re- + claim.

Meanings

1. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) The calling back of a hawk.
2. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) The bringing back or recalling of a person; the fetching of someone back.
   • The louing couple need no reskew feare, / But leasure had, and libertie to frame / Their purpost flight, free from all mens reclame […]. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
3. (countable, uncountable) An effort to take something back, to reclaim something.
4. (abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, countable, uncountable) Clipping of baggage reclaim.
   alt of baggage reclaim
5. (countable, uncountable) Material recovered from something that has already been used.
   • Is it okay to smoke cannabis reclaim?

Forms

Deriveds

baggage reclaim

reclaim en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɹiːˈkleɪm/ (UK)
• /ɹɪˈkleɪm/ (UK)

Etymology

From Middle English reclaymen, recleymen, reclamen, from Anglo-Norman reclamer (noun reclaim and Middle French reclamer (noun reclaim), from Latin reclāmō, reclāmāre. Equivalent to re- + claim.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To return land to a suitable condition for use.
2. (transitive) To obtain useful products from waste; to recycle.
3. (transitive) To claim something back; to repossess.
4. (dated, transitive) To return someone to a proper course of action, or correct an error; to reform.
   • His Highneſſe pleaſure is that he ſhould liue, And be reclaim’d with princely lenitie. c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene ii:
   • Your errour, in time reclaimed, will be veniall. 1609, Edward Hoby, A Letter to Mr. T[heophilus] H[iggons], late Minister: now Fugitive ... in answere of his first Motive:
   • They, hardened more by what might most reclaim, / Grieving to see his glory […] took envy. 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
   • It is the intention of Providence, in all the various expressions of his goodness, to reclaim mankind. a. 1729, John Rogers, The Goodness of God a Motive to Repentance:
5. (archaic, transitive) To tame or domesticate a wild animal.
   • an eagle well reclaimed 1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
6. (archaic, transitive) To call back from flight or disorderly action; to call to, for the purpose of subduing or quieting.
   • They were the head-strong horses, who hurried Octavius […] along, and were deaf to his reclaiming them. 1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
7. (archaic, transitive) To cry out in opposition or contradiction; to exclaim against anything; to contradict; to take exceptions.
   • True it is he was very wild in his youth till God (the best Chymick who can fix quicksilver it self) gratiously reclaim'd him 1642, Thomas Fuller, The Holy State, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Roger Daniel for John Williams, […], →OCLC:
   • Scripture reclaims, and the whole Catholic church reclaims, and Christian ears would not bear it. 1719, Daniel Waterland, A Vindication of Christ's Divinit:
   • At a later period Grote reclaimed strongly against Mill's setting Whately above Hamilton. 1882, Alexander Bain, Biography of James Mill:
8. (obsolete, rare) To draw back; to give way.
   • Yet would he not perswaded be for ought, Ne from his currish will a whit reclame. 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
9. (Scotland, intransitive) To appeal from the Lord Ordinary to the inner house of the Court of Session.
10. To bring back a term into acceptable usage, usually of a slur, and usually by the group that was once targeted by that slur.
    • Once a term of homophobic abuse, the term “queer” has been reclaimed as a marker for some gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT), and other marginalized sexual identities.

Forms

Deriveds

reclaimably · unreclaiming · reclamation · reclaimless · reclaimer · reclaimant · reclaimableness · reclaimable · reclaim one's time

Translations (47)

es resignificar (to claim something back, repossess) · es reclamar (to claim something back, repossess) · bg превъзпитавам (to return someone to a proper course of action) · fi ojentaa (to return someone to a proper course of action) · it reclamare (to claim something back, repossess) · bg възстаноявявам (to return land to a suitable condition) · cs žádat vrácení (to claim something back, repossess) · es reclamar de nuevo (to claim something back, repossess) · cs získat zpět (to claim something back, repossess) · es apoderarse nuevamente (to claim something back, repossess) · eo repreni (to claim something back, repossess) · fr regagner (to claim something back, repossess) · cmn 使悔改 (to return someone to a proper course of action) · es recuperar (to return land to a suitable condition) · cs polepšit (to return someone to a proper course of action) · ia recuperar (to claim something back, repossess) · pt chamar à razão (to return someone to a proper course of action) · cs vyzvednout si (to claim something back, repossess) · fr recouvrer (to claim something back, repossess) · he תָּבַע בַּחֲזָרָה (to claim something back, repossess) · fi saada takaisin (to claim something back, repossess) · cs vyzvednout (to claim something back, repossess) · hu visszahódít (to claim something back, repossess) · es rehabitabilizar (to return land to a suitable condition) · bg поправям (to return land to a suitable condition) · cs napravit (to return someone to a proper course of action) · cs rekultivovat (to return land to a suitable condition) · es posesionarse otra vez (to claim something back, repossess) · hu visszavesz (to claim something back, repossess) · fi palauttaa (to return land to a suitable condition) · es volver a apropiarse (to claim something back, repossess) · fi kutsua takaisin (to call back from flight or disorderly action) · nrf r'cliâmer (to return land to a suitable condition) · cmn 開墾 /开垦 (to return land to a suitable condition) · io retroprenar (to claim something back, repossess) · hu rehabilitál (to return someone to a proper course of action) · es reinvindicar una vez más (to claim something back, repossess) · bg връщам си (to claim something back, repossess) · fi kunnostaa (to return land to a suitable condition) · pt reclamar (to claim something back, repossess) · cs znovu získat (to claim something back, repossess) · cmn 回收 (to claim something back, repossess) · hu jó útra terel (to return someone to a proper course of action) · fr reprendre (to claim something back, repossess) · fr récupérer (to claim something back, repossess) · cs zrekultivovat (to return land to a suitable condition) · tr geri almak (to claim something back, repossess)