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Where does the word "rescue" come from? It comes from Latin excutere, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "rescue" come from? It comes from Latin excutere, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Rescue’s story begins in Latin: excutere meant “to shake off.” 'ex-', off, plus 'quatere', to shake. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as rescorre. 're-' plus 'escorre', to shake out. It reached English by 1300s as rescue. 'rescue dog' dates from the 1900s. Today, rescue means to save from danger or difficulty.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient excutere "to shake off", 'ex-', off, plus 'quatere', to shake.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval rescorre "to rescue", 're-' plus 'escorre', to shake out.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s rescue "to free from danger", 'rescue dog' dates from the 1900s.