Receive Definition
Contents
English
Etymology
From Middle English receiven from Old French recever from Latin recipere, past participle receptus (“to take back, get back, regain, recover, take to oneself, admit, accept, receive, take in, assume, allow, etc.”) from re- (“back”) + capere (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Replaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (eg. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen "to receive" (from Old English þicgan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen "to receive" (from Old French aquillir, encueillir).
Pronunciation
Verb
receive (third-person singular simple present receives, present participle receiving, simple past and past participle received)
- to get, to be given something while the other party is the active partner (opposite: to obtain).
- She received a lot of presents for her birthday.
- to take possession of
- To act as a host for guests.
- To suffer from (an injury)
- I received a bloody nose from the collision.
- (telecommunications) To detect a signal from a transmitter.
- (sports) To be in a position to take possition, or hit back the ball.
- (tennis, badminton, squash (sport)) To be in a position to hit back a service.
- (American football) To be in a position to catch a forward pass
- (transitive, intransitive) To accept into the mind; to understand.
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, I.57:
- I cannot receive [transl. recevoir] that manner, whereby we establish the continuance of our life.
- 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, I.57:
Related terms
External links
- receive in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- receive in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
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