recours

Recours is a French term that translates roughly to remedy or recourse and is commonly used in legal and administrative contexts to denote a means of obtaining relief or challenging a decision. The word derives from Old French recours, from Latin recursus, meaning a running back or return.

In civil law jurisdictions such as France, recours refers to available remedies against acts of administration, courts, or private parties. It encompasses both informal and formal channels. Recours gracieux denotes an informal petition to the issuing authority asking for reconsideration, often without initiating a formal procedure. Recours administratif or recours hiérarchique refers to remedies within the administration, directed at higher authorities to review the decision. When these remedies prove unsatisfactory or inappropriate, a recours contentieux—a claim or appeal before a court or administrative tribunal—may be pursued to obtain judicial review of the decision.

Recours also operates in financial language, where it describes the lender's legal right to claim repayment from the borrower's assets beyond pledged collateral. A loan given with recourse permits the lender to pursue other assets of the borrower; a non-recourse loan limits the lender to collateral.

Outside France, recours appears in legal writing translated as recourse or appeal, depending on context. While the English terms “recourse” and “appeal” capture the concept, “recours” is primarily used in French-language texts and discussions of French, Belgian, or other civil-law systems.