rə̇ˈdēm, rēˈ- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English redemen, modification (perhaps influenced by demen to judge, deem) of Middle French redimer, from Latin redimere, from red- re- + -imere (from emere to take, buy, acquire); akin to Old Irish arfo em to take, Lithuanian imti to take, Old Slavic imǫ I take away, Hittite u- emijami I grasp, find
transitive verb
1.
a. : to buy back : repurchase
if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after — Lev 25:29 (Revised Standard Version)
b. : to get or win back
redeemed his championship status by winning the return bout
2.
a. : to liberate (as from slavery or captivity) by paying a price : ransom
a parley to decide the terms for redeeming captured warriors
b.
(1) : to free by force : liberate
the redeemed land of France — New York Times
(2) : to extricate from or help to surmount (a detrimental influence or circumstance)
redeems life from futility and meaninglessness — J.H.Hallowell
c. : to release from blame or debt : clear , justify
a yearly tribute … redeemed the borough from all claims — E.A.Freeman
eager … to redeem himself by furthering the national interest — Oscar Handlin
d.
[modification of Late Latin redimere, from Latin]
: to absolve from the bondage of sin
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law — Gal 3:13 (Authorized Version)
God has demonstrated His love for human souls by redeeming them through a supreme act of self-sacrifice — A.J.Toynbee
e. : to change from worse to better : purify , reform
our civilization cannot survive materially unless it be redeemed spiritually — Woodrow Wilson
your auditors are hardened sinners, not easily redeemed — B.N.Cardozo
f. : to put back into proper condition : repair , restore
redeeming cocoa plantations which have been neglected in recent years — New York Times
g. archaic : to recover from a state of submersion : reclaim
considerable spaces were redeemed from the original ocean and converted into dry land — Charles Lyell
3.
a. : to repossess upon fulfillment of an obligation ; specifically : to free (property) from a lien or encumbrance and regain absolute title by payment of an amount secured thereby or by performing the condition securing the same
b.
(1) : to remove the obligation of by payment
the United States Treasury redeems war bonds upon demand
(2) : to convert into something of value
people who always redeem trading stamps
c.
(1) : to make good (a promise or pledge) : fulfill
graver peril arose, and Washington redeemed his promise to stand by the army — H.E.Scudder
(2) : to convert into actuality : realize
looked to the north with a childlike trust which … has not been redeemed by the event — W.L.Sperry
4.
a. : to atone for or cleanse : expiate , purge
redeem an error
a tireless attempt to make the twentieth century redeem this tragedy of the nineteenth — Anne Fremantle
redeem themselves by means of frank confessions — Q.K.Y.Huang
b.
(1) : to cancel out the detrimental effect of : make up for : compensate , offset
a plain pale face redeemed by very beautiful eyes — Elizabeth Goudge
style and malicious epigram … redeem much that is tedious — L.O.Coxe
(2) : to make worth while : give merit to : retrieve
a resynthesis … might redeem the whole undertaking — R.M.Weaver
c. obsolete : to be accepted in exchange for
would some part of my young years might but redeem the passage of your age — Shakespeare
5. : to make profitable use of (time)
worked … with indefatigable energy, redeeming the time — J.F.Clarke
intransitive verb
1. : deliver , save
is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem — Isa 50:2 (Revised Standard Version)
2. : to buy back property : regain title by purchase
rights … must be exercised within forty years from the time at which the proprietor is allowed to redeem — William Bell
Synonyms: see rescue