# recovery

Pronunciation: say "ri-KUV-uh-ree" /ɹɪˈkʌvəɹi/

## Noun

1. The process of returning to normal health after illness or injury.
   - Simple: The return to good health after being sick or hurt.
   - _Her recovery from pneumonia surprised everyone at the clinic._
   - _After knee surgery, his recovery took six months of physical therapy before he could run again._
2. The process of getting back to a normal condition, or to a stronger or better one, after hardship, damage, or a setback.
   - Simple: Getting back to normal, or becoming stronger or better, after a hard time or damage.
   - _Volunteers poured in to help with the region's recovery after the wildfires._
   - _The band's recovery from its disastrous second album surprised even loyal fans._
3. The act or process of getting back something lost, taken away, or owed, such as stolen property or unpaid debts.
   - Simple: Getting back something you lost, something taken from you, or money owed to you.
   - _The recovery of the sunken ship's cargo took divers several weeks._
   - _Investigators focused on the recovery of data from the damaged drive._
4. A period of renewed growth in an economy following a downturn or slump.
   - Simple: A time when business, jobs, and trade grow again after a period when they fell.
   - _Economists predicted a strong recovery in the second half of the year._
   - _The housing market showed signs of recovery after years of stagnation._
5. The ongoing, long-term work of overcoming dependence on alcohol or drugs, usually by living free of them, often in the phrase "in recovery".
   - Simple: The long process of getting over a need for alcohol or drugs, usually by living without them.
   - _He now speaks at high schools about his recovery from opioid addiction._
   - _Many people in recovery rely on weekly meetings to stay sober._
6. A court judgment establishing someone's right to receive payment, such as damages, unpaid debts, or legal costs.
   - Simple: A court's decision that gives a person the right to get back money or costs.
   - _The plaintiff secured a recovery covering both the debt and legal costs._
   - _After a two-year lawsuit, the contractor obtained a recovery against the homeowner for the unpaid balance plus interest._
7. The act of returning to a starting or ready position after a movement, such as a lunge in fencing or a curtsey.
   - Simple: Going back to your starting position after a movement, like a lunge or a curtsey.
   - _Her recovery after the lunge left no opening for a counterattack._
   - _A sloppy recovery in the bout cost him the next point._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The extraction of ore from a mine, or of metal from the ore that contains it.
- (noun) In gaming, a character's capacity to regain health or restore status after taking damage.

## Origin

The Old French verb recovrer, meaning "recover," gave recovree, which Middle English took over as recoveree.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/recovery (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).