retrieve
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Recorded in Middle English c. 1410 as retreve (altered to retrive in the 16th century; modern form is from c. 1650), from Middle French retruev-, stem of Old French retrover (“to find again”, modern retrouver), itself from re- (“again”) + trover (“to find”), probably from Vulgar Latin *tropāre (“to compose”).
Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): /ɹɪˈtɹiːv/, /ɹəˈtɹiːv/, /ɹiˈtɹiːv/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -iːv
Verb
[edit]retrieve (third-person singular simple present retrieves, present participle retrieving, simple past and past participle retrieved)
- (transitive) To regain or get back something.
- to retrieve one's character or independence; to retrieve a thrown ball
- 1697, Virgil, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
- With late repentance now they would retrieve / The bodies they forsook, and wish to live.
- (transitive) To rescue (a creature).
- (transitive) To salvage something
- (transitive) To remedy or rectify something.
- (transitive) To remember or recall something.
- (transitive) To fetch or carry back something, especially (computing) a file or data record.
- 1714, Rev. Dean Berkeley, letter to Alexander Pope, May 1, 1714:
- to retrieve them from their cold, trivial conceits
- (transitive) To fetch and bring in game.
- The cook doesn't care what's shot, only what's actually retrieved.
- (intransitive) To fetch and bring in game systematically.
- Dog breeds called 'retrievers' were selected for retrieving.
- (intransitive) To fetch or carry back systematically, notably as a game.
- Most dogs love retrieving, regardless of what object is thrown.
- (sports, transitive) To make a difficult but successful return of the ball.
- (obsolete) To remedy the evil consequence of, to repair (a loss or damage).
- 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):
- Accept my sorrow, and retrieve my fall.
- 1795–1797, Edmund Burke, “(please specify |letter=1 to 4)”, in [Letters on a Regicide Peace], London: [Rivington]:
- There is much to be done […] and much to be retrieved.
Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]to regain or get back something
|
to rescue
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to salvage something
to remedy or rectify something
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to remember or recall something
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to fetch or carry back something
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to fetch and bring in game
|
to fetch and bring in game systematically
|
to fetch or carry back systematically, notably as a game
|
Noun
[edit]retrieve (plural retrieves)
- A retrieval
- (sports) The return of a difficult ball
- (obsolete) A seeking again; a discovery.
- (obsolete) The recovery of game once sprung.
- 1625 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, The Staple of Newes. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot […], published 1631, →OCLC, (please specify the page), (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
- we'll bring Wax to the retrieve
Translations
[edit]retrieval — see retrieval
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *trep-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Vulgar Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/iːv
- Rhymes:English/iːv/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
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- en:Computing
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- en:Sports
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