rescue

Rescue is defined as to free, save from danger or take out of legal custody by force.

(verb)

An example of rescue is to take in a stray dog wandering the streets.

Rescue is an act of saving, freeing or taking from legal custody by force.

(noun)

An example of a rescue is saving a group of people from a sinking ship.

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See rescue in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb rescued, rescuing

  1. to free or save from danger, imprisonment, evil, etc.
  2. Law to take (a person or thing) out of legal custody by force

Origin: ME rescuen < OFr rescourre < re-, again + escorre, to shake, move < L excutere, to shake off, drive away < ex-, off + quatere, to shake: see quash

noun

the act or an instance of rescuing; deliverance

Related Forms:

See rescue in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb res·cued, res·cu·ing, res·cues
  1. To set free, as from danger or imprisonment; save. See Synonyms at save1.
  2. Law To take from legal custody by force.
noun
  1. An act of rescuing; a deliverance.
  2. Law Removal from legal custody by force.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English rescouen

Origin: , from Old French rescourre

Origin: : re-, re-

Origin: + escourre, to shake (from Latin excutere : ex-, ex- + quatere, to shake; see kwēt- in Indo-European roots)

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Related Forms:

  • resˈcu·a·ble adjective
  • resˈcu·er noun

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