rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: re-
Latin

re-

back, again; restoration or reversal

Forms

  • re-
  • red- — An early Latin form used before vowels and h.

Origin

Its ancestry before Latin is uncertain.

Note

In some old compounds the prefix adds emphasis, while in others its separate contribution has become unclear.

37 / 332
A previously damaged patch of land is restored with soil, young plants and erosion-control mesh; clear before-and-after environmental reclamation, no claim about a real site.
noun

reclamation

rek-luh-MAY-shuhn/ˌrekləˈmeɪʃn/

The process of bringing something damaged or unusable into a usable condition.

Etymology
reLatinback, again; restoration or reversal
+clamLatincry out or call
+ationLatinan action, process, or result

Built on ‘crying out against,’ reclamation moved from protest to revoking and calling back, then recovering possession. Its land-use sense concerns bringing land under control for use, probably extending reclaim’s taming sense rather than implying an earlier usable condition.

Full entry

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