reclaim

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

verb

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈkleɪm/, /ɹiːˈkleɪm/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

noun

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɹiːkleɪm/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪm

reclaim (third-person singular simple present reclaims, present participle reclaiming, simple past and past participle reclaimed)

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. (transitive, dated) To return someone to a proper course of action, or correct an error; to reform.
   • c. 1587–1588, [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:

     His Highneſſe pleaſure is that he ſhould liue,
     And be reclaim’d with princely lenitie.

   • 1609, Edward Hoby, A Letter to Mr. T[heophilus] H[iggons], late Minister: now Fugitive ... in answere of his first Motive:

     Your errour, in time reclaimed, will be veniall.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     They, hardened more by what might most reclaim, / Grieving to see his glory […] took envy.

   • a. 1729, John Rogers, The Goodness of God a Motive to Repentance:

     It is the intention of Providence, in all the various expressions of his goodness, to reclaim mankind.

5. (transitive, archaic) To tame or domesticate a wild animal.
   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     an eagle well reclaimed

6. (transitive, archaic) To call back from flight or disorderly action; to call to, for the purpose of subduing or quieting.
   • 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:

     They were the head-strong horses, who hurried Octavius […] along, and were deaf to his reclaiming them.

7. (transitive, archaic) To cry out in opposition or contradiction; to exclaim against anything; to contradict; to take exceptions.
   • 1719, Daniel Waterland, A Vindication of Christ's Divinit:

     Scripture reclaims, and the whole Catholic church reclaims, and Christian ears would not bear it.

   • 1882, Alexander Bain, Biography of James Mill:

     At a later period Grote reclaimed strongly against Mill's setting Whately above Hamilton.

   • 1642, Thomas Fuller, The Holy State, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Roger Daniel for John Williams, […], →OCLC:

     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

8. (obsolete, rare) To draw back; to give way.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Yet would he not perswaded be for ought,
     Ne from his currish will a whit reclame.

9. (intransitive, law, Scotland) To appeal from the Lord Ordinary to the inner house of the Court of Session.
10. (sociology) 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.

reclaim (plural reclaims)

1. (obsolete, falconry) The calling back of a hawk.
2. (obsolete) The bringing back or recalling of a person; the fetching of someone back.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     The louing couple need no reskew feare, / But leasure had, and libertie to frame / Their purpost flight, free from all mens reclame […] .

3. An effort to take something back, to reclaim something.
4. baggage reclaim

• Maricle, Miracle, Ramciel, car mile, claimer, miracle

reclaim oblique singular, m (oblique plural reclains, nominative singular reclains, nominative plural reclaim)

1. reputation

• English: reclaim

• reclaim on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub