retrieve

The story

1. Vulgar Latin · derived from*tropāre“to compose”
2. Old French · derived fromretrover“to find again”
3. Middle French · derived fromretruev-
4. English todayretrieve

Recorded in Middle English c. 1410 as retreve (altered to retrive in the 16th century; modern form is from c. 1650), from Middle French retruev-, stem of Old French retrover (“to find again”, modern retrouver), itself from re- (“again”) + trover (“to find”), probably from Vulgar Latin *tropāre (“to compose”).