Etymology

redeem

re·deem
R1E1D2E1E1M3

Today it means: To recover ownership of something by buying it back. Full definition →

Middle English redemen ← Old French redimer ← Latin redimō
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The story

  1. Latinred-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁em-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁émeti
  4. Proto-Italic*emō
  5. Latinemō
  6. Latinredimō
  7. Old Frenchredimer
  8. Middle Englishredemen
  9. English todayredeem

From Middle English redemen, modified from Old French redimer, from Latin redimō (“release; obviate; atone for”), itself from red- (“back; again”) + emō (“buy; gain, take, procure”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.