reclaim

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To get back something that was taken away or lost.

   She fought in court to reclaim her property.

2. 2
   verb

   To make wasteland or used material usable again.

   The land was reclaimed from the sea for farming.

3. 3
   verb

   To bring a word, especially an insult, back into acceptable use by the group it once targeted.

   The community has reclaimed a word that was once used as an insult.

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

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