retrouvée

Retrouvée is the feminine singular past participle of the French verb retrouver. Retrouver means to find again, rediscover, recover, or meet again. As a participle it can function in compound tenses (she has found again) or as an adjective describing a feminine noun (a rediscovered item).

Etymology and sense: the form derives from the prefix re- plus trouver (to find). The sense centers on locating something again after it was lost, missed, or separated, and it can extend to intangible finds such as memories, ideas, or relationships.

Usage and grammar: when retrouver is used with the auxiliary avoir, the participle agrees in gender and number with a preceding direct object. For example, La clé que j’ai retrouvée shows agreement with the feminine singular direct object "La clé" preceding the verb; in J’ai retrouvé mes notes the object follows the verb, so no agreement occurs. As an adjective, retrouvée can modify a feminine noun to indicate a rediscovery, as in une histoire retrouvée or une musique retrouvée, giving a sense of something that has been found again.

Contexts: the term is common in everyday French when describing physical recovery of lost items, as well as in literary or cultural contexts to denote rediscovered works, memories, or connections. It also appears in titles and descriptive phrases to convey a sense of revival or renewed relevance.

See also: retrouver, retrouvé, recuperer.