Definition
Taking back or recovering something that was lost, taken away, or abandoned; restoring something to a better state.
Etymology
From reclaim (re- again + claim, from Latin clamare to call out). Originally meant to tame wild animals; evolved to mean recovering possession or restoring land.
Kelly Says
Wetland reclamation from agriculture is a powerful conservation strategy—converted farmlands are being returned to marshes, restoring ecosystems and actually sequestering more carbon than forests.
Translations
ARالعربية
استعادة
ista'ada
BNবাংলা
পুনঃপ্রাপ্তি
po-nuh-pro-ap-ti
CACatalà
recuperar
re-ku-pe-rar
CSČeština
obnovit
o-b-no-vit
DADansk
gentage
gen-ta-ge
DEDeutsch
zurückgewinnen
tsur-zwik-vin-en
ELΕλληνικά
ανακτηση
a-nak-ti-e
ESEspañol
recuperando
re-ku-pe-ran-doh
FAفارسی
به دست آوردن
be-dast-a-vardan
FISuomi
takaisin
ta-kai-sin
FRFrançais
réclamer
re-klam-ay
GUGU
પાછા મેળવવું
pa-cha me-lav-vu
HEעברית
להחזיר
le-cha-zir
HIहिन्दी
वापस लेना
va-pas le-na
HUMagyar
visszaszerezni
vis-sa-sze-rez-ni
IDBahasa Indonesia
mendapatkan kembali
men-dan-gat kem-bali
IGIG
gbaa n'eche
gbaa n'e-che
ITItaliano
recuperare
re-ku-pe-ra-re
KKKK
қайтарып алу
kai-ta-ryp a-lu
KMKM
ប្រើប្រាស់វិញ
pra-eup-bra-as-vi-n
MRMR
वापस मिळवा
va-pas mil-va
MSBahasa Melayu
mendapatkan semula
men-dan-gat se-mula
MYမြန်မာ
ပြန်လည်ရရှိ
pyan-li-ye-shyi
NLNederlands
terugkrijgen
ter-guk-rij-gen
NONorsk
innta tilbake
in-ta ti-bake
PAPA
ਪੁਨਰ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ
pun-ar pra-ap-at
PLPolski
odzyskiwać
od-zysk-i-vat'
PTPortuguês
recuperando
re-ku-pe-ran-doh
RORomână
recunoaște
re-kuno-a-ste
RUРусский
возвращать
vozvrashchat'
SVSvenska
återkräva
a-ter-krev-a
SWKiswahili
kupata tena
ku-pa-ta te-na
TAதமிழ்
மீட்டெடுக்க
mee-tte-dhu-kka
TEతెలుగు
పুনరుద్ధరించు
pu-nu-rud-dhari-nchu
TLTL
muling makuha
moo-ling ma-ku-ha
TRTürkçe
geri almak
ge-ri al-mak
UKУкраїнська
відвоювати
vid-vo-vat'
URاردو
واپس لینا
wa-pas le-na
VITiếng Việt
đòi lại
djoi lai
YOYO
gbáà lọ́wọ́
gba-a lo-wo
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Second-wave feminism (1960s-80s) reclaimed terms like 'witch,' 'bitch,' and 'hysteria' as counter-narratives against male medical/legal erasure. The verb 'reclaim' itself became gendered through women's consciousness-raising practices.
Inclusive Usage
Use inclusively by recognizing reclamation as a tool for any historically marginalized group—not only gender-based. Frame as strategic reinterpretation of language used against you.
Empowerment Note
Women's intellectual work in reclamation linguistics and feminist semantics (Cheris Kramarae, Dale Spender) created frameworks now used across liberation movements.