# rescue
## English
### Etymology

From Middle English rescouen, from Old French rescoure, rescurre, rescorre; from Latin prefix re- (“re-”) + excutere (“to shake or drive out”), from ex (“out”) + quatiō (“I shake”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɹɛs.kjuː/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Hyphenation: res‧cue

### Verb

rescue (third-person singular simple present rescues, present participle rescuing, simple past and past participle rescued) (transitive)
* To save from any violence, danger or evil.
    Synonyms: free, deliver (from), pull out of the fire
    Antonyms: endanger, imperil
    The well-trained team rescued everyone after the avalanche.
** 2004, John Pym, editor, Time Out Film Guide, page 70:Soon after rescuing some silly children from the local caves, the alien prangs his vessel and dies.
** 2023 May 5, Declan Walsh, “‘Only Word for Them Is Heroes’: How 2 Students Rescued Dozens in Sudan”, in The New York Times‎:The students’ final mission was their longest: a trip across the Nile to the city of Omdurman, at the request of Rwandan diplomats, to rescue a woman who, unlike the first they rescued, really was pregnant.
* To free or liberate from confinement or other physical restraint.
    Synonyms: liberate, release
    Antonyms: arrest, capture, kidnap
    Hyponyms: unshackle, untie
    to rescue a prisoner from the enemy
* To recover forcibly, especially from a siege.
    Synonyms: liberate, recapture, retake
    Antonyms: besiege, capture
* (figuratively) To remove or withdraw from a state of exposure to evil and sin.
    Synonyms: redeem, save
    Antonyms: corrupt, deprave
    Traditionally missionaries aim to rescue many ignorant heathen souls.
* (figuratively) To achieve something positive under difficult conditions.
** 1999, Marion A. Kaplan, Between Dignity and Despair, Oxford University Press, →ISBN:Jews rescued some normalcy from increasingly difficult times by assuaging their constant Angst in the family and community and making do with less.
** 2011 September 13, Sam Lyon, “Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Arsenal”, in BBC‎:Arsenal's hopes of starting their Champions League campaign with an away win were dashed when substitute Ivan Perisic's superb late volley rescued a point for Borussia Dortmund.
** 2013, Daniel Harris, The Promised Land: Manchester United's Historic Treble, Birlinn, →ISBN:Over the course of the season, on 15 occasions the team had rescued a draw or better after falling behind, such that even against Juventus, there was an air of inevitability about the comeback.
* (biology, genetics) To restore a particular trait in an organism that was lost or altered, especially where this loss was as the consequence of some experimental manipulation.
** 2015, Meagan R. Pitcher et al., “Rett syndrome like phenotypes in the R255X Mecp2 mutant mouse are rescued by MECP2 transgene”, in Human Molecular Genetics, volume 24, number 9, →DOI, page 2664:Mecp2$^{R255X/+}$ [mice] developed an overweight body weight phenotype by 10 weeks age and increased liver and heart weight by 8 months age. Abnormal body, liver and heart weight in Mecp2$^{R255X/+}$ was rescued by MECP2$^{Tg1}$ allele.
* To salvage and restore something that has been discarded.
    I rescued a set of antique dining chairs.
** 2016 May 26, Jojo Moyes, Foreign Fruit: 'Blissful, romantic reading' - Company, Hachette UK, →ISBN:She had rescued a sofa once, had managed to locate the dealer who had bought it from under her nose while she perused a junk shop, and offered to buy it from him.
* To fix a mistake made while preparing something, especially in cooking.
    The cook rescued the sauce after it began to curdle.
** 2019 November 12, Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, John Becker, Megan Scott, Joy of Cooking: Fully Revised and Updated, Scribner, →ISBN, page 791:To rescue whipped cream that has been overwhipped and appears grainy, add a little more liquid cream and whip it briefly or until very smooth and soft.
* To adopt (an animal).
** 2018 July 31, Olivia Hussey, The Girl on the Balcony: Olivia Hussey Finds Life after Romeo and Juliet, Kensington Books, →ISBN:We rescued a dog, Dylan, which would begin my lifelong love of animals, especially dogs.

#### Derived terms

* rescuee
* rescuer

#### Related terms

* quash

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Noun

rescue (countable and uncountable, plural rescues)
* An act or episode of rescuing, saving.
** 2023 May 5, Declan Walsh, “‘Only Word for Them Is Heroes’: How 2 Students Rescued Dozens in Sudan”, in The New York Times‎:Guests marveled that they kept making more rescues.
* A liberation, freeing.
* (law, largely obsolete) The act of unlawfully freeing a person, or confiscated goods, from custody.
* The forcible ending of a siege; liberation from similar military peril.
    The rescue of Jerusalem was the original motive of the Crusaders
* A special airliner flight to bring home passengers who are stranded.
* A rescuee.
    The dog was a rescue with some behavior issues.

#### Usage notes

* Often used attributively as an adjective, e.g. "rescue equipment".

#### Derived terms

* come to someone's rescue
* mountain rescue
* rescue board
* rescue circle
* rescue dog
* rescue grass
* rescue mission
* rescue therapy
* search and rescue
* sea rescue kit
* to one's rescue
* to the rescue

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### References

“rescue”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

### Anagrams

* Creuse, cereus, ceruse, cursee, recuse, secuer, secure