RESCUE

[res.cue] vt res.cued ; res.cu.ing [ME, fr. MF rescourre, fr. OF, fr. re- + escourre to shake out, fr. L excutere, fr. ex- + quatere to shake] (14c): to free from confinement, danger, or evil: save, deliver: as a: to take (as a prisoner) forcibly from custody b: to recover (as a prize) by force c: to deliver (as a place under siege) by armed force -- res.cu.able adj -- rescue n -- res.cu.er n syn rescue, deliver, redeem, ransom, reclaim, save mean to set free from confinement or danger. rescue implies freeing from imminent danger by prompt or vigorous action "rescued the crew of a sinking ship". deliver implies release usu. of a person from confinement, temptation, slavery, or suffering "delivered his people from bondage". redeem implies releasing from bondage or penalties by giving what is demanded or necessary "job training designed to redeem school dropouts from chronic unemployment". ransom specif. applies to buying out of captivity "tried to ransom the kidnap victim". reclaim suggests a bringing back to a former state or condition of someone or something abandoned or debased "reclaimed long-abandoned farms". save may replace any of the foregoing terms; it may further imply a preserving or maintaining for usefulness or continued existence "an operation that saved my life".