noun / verb

recompense

REK-um-pens/ˈrekəmpens/

Something given, or the act of giving it, to make up for loss or reward effort.

The gardener receives recompense for her work.

Older Latina gardener receives coins for careful garden work.

Etymology

reLatinagain

+comLatintogether

+penseLatinto weigh

The pieces evoke weighing things together again to balance them out. Recompense is the equivalent given in return: payment for service or effort, or something that makes good a loss.

In context

The 1928 Club298:26

my lady, in recompense for her good conduct (I laid a stress on her good conduct), had given her a new outfit not a fortnight since.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins | Part 1: The Loss of the Diamond | Full Audiobook

More examples

The company recompensed her for the lost luggage.
He sought fair recompense for months of unpaid work.
Nothing could fully recompense the family for its loss.

Forms

recompense · recompenses · recompensed · recompensing

Similar words

compensation: Both concern making up for loss or paying for work; recompense is more formal.
restitution: Restitution restores something owed or taken; recompense can also reward service.