retrieve

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To get something back or bring it back from where it is.

   She went back to the cafe to retrieve the umbrella she had left.

2. 2
   verb

   To find and bring back data or a file on a computer.

   You can retrieve your saved documents from the cloud at any time.

3. 3
   verb

   Of a dog: to run after and bring back something that has been thrown.

   We trained the dog to retrieve the ball.

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”).

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