English
rescue
Rescue comes from Old French rescoure, from Latin re- + excutiō ‘to shake out’, from quatiō ‘to shake’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquatiō‘to shake’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexcutiō‘to shake or drive out’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400rescoure‘to rescue’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rescouen‘to rescue’
- Englishearliest quotation 1989rescue
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquatiō‘to shake’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEexcutiō‘to shake or drive out’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400rescoure‘to rescue’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rescouen‘to rescue’
- Englishearliest quotation 1989rescue
Earliest quotation: 1989, Jeff MacInnis, Braving the Northwest Passage: “Sir John Franklin's 1845 expedition was lost with two…”
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *wre- ‘again’
require, reverse, rely, remark, reminiscent, reciprocal, revoke, repellent, reciprocate, refrigerate, repulse, rappel, regurgitate, 16 more
Today it means
verb To save from any violence, danger or evil.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin quatiō / rescue