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recovery

[ri-kuhv-uh-ree]
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noun, plural re·cov·er·ies.
  1. an act of recovering.
  2. the regaining of or possibility of regaining something lost or taken away.
  3. restoration or return to health from sickness.
  4. restoration or return to any former and better state or condition.
  5. time required for recovering.
  6. something that is gained in recovering.
  7. an improvement in the economy marking the end of a recession or decline.
  8. the regaining of substances in usable form, as from refuse material or waste products.
  9. Law. the obtaining of right to something by verdict or judgment of a court of law.
  10. Football. an act or instance of recovering a fumble.
  11. Fencing. the movement to the position of guard after a lunge.
  12. Rowing. a return to a former position for making the next stroke.
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Origin of recovery

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Anglo-French word recoverie. See recover, -y3
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for recovery

recovery

noun plural -eries
  1. the act or process of recovering, esp from sickness, a shock, or a setback; recuperation
  2. restoration to a former or better condition
  3. the regaining of something lost
  4. the extraction of useful substances from waste
  5. the recovery of a space capsule after a space flight
  6. law
    1. the obtaining of a right, etc, by the judgment of a court
    2. (in the US) the final judgment or verdict in a case
  7. fencing a return to the position of guard after making an attack
  8. swimming rowing the action of bringing the arm, oar, etc, forward for another stroke
  9. golf a stroke played from the rough or a bunker to the fairway or green
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for recovery

n.

mid-14c., "return to health," from Anglo-French recoverie (c.1300), Old French recovree "remedy, cure, recovery," from past participle stem of recovrer (see recover). Meaning "a gaining possession by legal action" is from early 15c. That of "act of righting oneself after a blunder, mishap, etc." is from 1520s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper