Reclaim: Getting It Back, and Making Land From Sea
To reclaim is to get something back. It also means to bring land into use, which is how the Netherlands acquired much of its territory.
To reclaim is to recover something that was yours, or to bring land into productive use. The second sense built a country: about a sixth of the Netherlands is reclaimed land, drained behind dykes and pumped dry. English airports use a third sense — baggage reclaim, where you get your things back.
- To get something back. *Reclaim your deposit.*
- To bring land into use. *Reclaimed marshland.*
- To recover material for reuse. *Reclaimed timber.*
- To take back a word. *Reclaiming an insult.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | reclaim | Reclaim the tax. |
| Past | reclaimed | Reclaimed bricks. |
| Noun | reclamation | Land reclamation. |
| Compound | baggage reclaim | At baggage reclaim. |
| Related | recover | Recover costs. |
How it is used in a sentence
- You can reclaim the VAT on business purchases.Tax.
- The polder was reclaimed in the 1930s.Dutch land reclamation.
- The floor is made of reclaimed oak.Salvaged material.
Land reclamation methods
- Polder — land drained behind dykes, Dutch
- Infill — filling shallow water with material
- Drainage — removing water from marsh or fen
- Managed retreat — the opposite: letting land return to sea
- Subsidence — the sinking that often follows drainage
From Old French *reclamer*, to call back, from Latin *reclamare*, to cry out against, from *re-* and *clamare*, to shout — the same root as *claim*, *exclaim* and *clamour*.
What does reclaiming a word mean?
A group adopting a term once used against it and using it with pride, which changes who controls the word.
Reclaim or recover?
Reclaim implies a right to have it back. Recover simply means getting it back, however that happens.