To recover health, strength, or well-being after illness, exhaustion, or hardship.
From Latin 'recuperatus,' past participle of 'recuperare' meaning 'to get back, regain.' The prefix 're-' (back) combines with 'capere' (to take). The word entered English in the 16th century, maintaining its sense of getting back what was lost, particularly health or strength.
The word shares its root with 'capture' and 'recuperation' - the idea of taking back what belonged to you originally. Medieval doctors understood that recovery meant reclaiming your natural state of health, a concept that modern holistic medicine has rediscovered after centuries of purely mechanical medical models.
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