English
recompense
Recompense comes from Middle English recompense.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500recompense
- Englishearliest quotation 1609same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500recompense
- Englishearliest quotation 1609same form
Earliest quotation: 1609, William Shakespeare: “O let my books be then the eloquence And…”
Every English word from Middle English recompense
Another origin of recompense
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)pend-‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)péndetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pendō‘to hang, put in a hanging position’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpendō‘to weigh, weigh out’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpēnsō‘to weigh, counterbalance’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompensōas compensare‘to balance out’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CErecompensare
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400recompenser
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500recompensen
- Englishtodayrecompense
Today it means
noun An equivalent returned for anything given, done, or suffered; compensation; reward; amends; requital.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English recompense / recompense