redimere

Redimere is a Latin verb of the third conjugation meaning to buy back, redeem, or ransom; to recover something by payment; or to deliver from bondage, debt, or sin. In classical Latin it occurs in legal, financial, and literary contexts, and in Christian Latin it is common for the theological sense of redeeming humanity from sin.

Etymology and forms: the verb is built from re- “back” and emere “to take, buy,” with the principal parts redimo, redimere, redemi, redemptum. It belongs to the third conjugation, so its present active indicative forms include redimo, redimis, redimit, redimimus, redimitis, rediment. The imperfect is redimēbam, redimēbas, redimēbat, redimēbamus, redimēbatis, redimēbant. The supine is redemptum, and the perfect passive participle is redemptus, which yields the derived adjective “redeemed” in translations.

Usage and meaning: redimere covers buying back something that has been lost or pledged, ransoming a person or thing, and redeeming a debt or pledge. In religious contexts it is frequently used to express deliverance from sin or evil, as in theological discussions of Christ’s redemptio. The noun redemptio and related adjectives such as redemptus occur in Latin to name the act or state of redemption.

Cognates and influence: the Latin verb is the source of the Romance-language verbs such as Spanish redimir and Portuguese redimir. English inherits redemptio and redeem/redemption from this root, with redemptive and related terms forming part of its vocabulary for deliverance, salvation, and restoration.