Advertisement

recompense (n.)

early 15c., "compensation, payment for a debt or obligation; satisfaction, amends; retribution, punishment," from Medieval Latin recompensa and Old French recompense (13c., related to recompenser "make good, recompense"), from Late Latin recompensare (see recompense (v.)).

recompense (v.)

c. 1400, "to redress," from Middle French recompenser (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin recompensare "to reward, remunerate," from Latin re- "again" (see re-) + compensare "balance out," literally "weigh together," from com "with, together" (see com-) + pensare, frequentative of pendere "to hang, cause to hang; weigh; pay" (from PIE root *(s)pen- "to draw, stretch, spin"). For the financial sense of the Latin verb, see pound (n.1). From early 15c. as "to compensate." Related: Recompensed; recompensing.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of recompense from WordNet
1
recompense (v.)
make amends for; pay compensation for;
Synonyms: compensate / repair / indemnify
recompense (v.)
make payment to; compensate;
Synonyms: compensate / remunerate
2
recompense (n.)
payment or reward (as for service rendered);
recompense (n.)
the act of compensating for service or loss or injury;
Synonyms: compensation
From wordnet.princeton.edu