The Meaning of Recourse: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of recourse? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word recourse, including its definition, usage, examples, and more!

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What does the word recourse mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word recourse is a noun that means some search for aid or safety, as well as referring to the said aid or safety one is searching for. In law and business, this refers to the right to demand payment from the maker or endorser of a negotiable instrument, such as a qualified endorsement or endorser of a bill of exchange made by debtors. According to Investopedia, recourse is a legal agreement that gives the lender the right to pledged collateral if the borrower is unable to satisfy the debt obligation of the borrower’s assets and refers to the lender’s legal right to collect or words sometimes added to the indorsement of a negotiable instrument to protect the indorser from liability to the indorsee and subsequent holders. Recourse lending provides a type of protection to lenders, since they are assured of having some repayment, either in cash or liquid assets for full recourse. Archaically, recourse meant to preventeth sickness in the healthy via surgery or a preventive psychic, or the recourse thereof in the valetudinary.. Recourse is two syllables – re-course, and the pronunciation of recourse is rɪˈkɔːs.

Different languages also contain words that mean recourse. You might notice that some of these words look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are when two words that mean something similar and different languages also look and sound similar. Cognates are formed when two words have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations of recourse is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Bulgarian: по́мощ‎ (fem.), съде́йствие‎ (neut.)
  •  Azeri: yardım‎
  •  Cyrillic: помоћ‎ (fem.)
  •  Afrikaans: hulp‎
  •  Hebrew: עֶזְרָה‎
  •  Hindi: मदद‎
  •  Tajik: ёрӣ‎, ёрмандӣ‎, мадад‎, кӯмак‎
  •  Roman: pomoc‎
  •  Telugu: సహాయము‎
  •  Ukrainian: допомо́га‎ (fem.)
  •  French: assistance‎ (fem.)
  •  Latvian: palīdzlība‎ (fem.)
  •  Urdu: مدد‎
  •  Mongolian: тусламж‎
  •  Khmer: ជំនួយ‎ (cumnuəy), កិច្ចសង្គ្រោះ‎ (kəc sɑŋkrʊəh)
  •  Kazakh: асар‎, бөксер‎, жәрдем‎
  •  Finnish: apu‎, avustaminen‎
  •  Catalan: assistència‎ (fem.)
  •  Japanese: 援助‎ (enjo)
  •  Slovene: pomoč‎ (fem.)
  •  Macedonian: по́мош‎ (fem.)
  •  Greek: βοήθεια‎ (fem.)
  •  Lithuanian: pagalba‎ (fem.)
  •  Slovak: pomoc‎ (fem.)
  •  Russian: по́мощь‎ (fem.), соде́йствие‎ (neut.), подде́ржка‎ (fem.)
  •  Persian: دستیاری‎, معاضدت‎, یاری‎ (yâri), کمک‎ (komak)
  •  Italian: assistenza‎ (fem.)
  •  Sorani: یارمه‌تی‎ (yarmetí)
  •  German: Hilfe‎ (fem.)
  •  Kyrgyz: жардам‎
  •  Hungarian: segítség‎
  •  Bashkir: ярҙам‎
  •  Ido: helpo‎, sokurso‎
  •  Romanian: asistență‎ (fem.), ajutor‎ (neut.)
  •  Korean: 도움‎ (doum)
  •  Bengali: সাহায্য‎ (shahajjô)
  •  Danish: hjælp‎ (common)
  •  Turkish: yardım‎
  •  Arabic: مُسَاعَدَة‎ (fem.)
  •  Turkmen: ýardam‎, kömek‎
  •  Crimean Tatar: yardım‎
  •  Portuguese: assistência‎ (fem.)
  •  Tatar: ярдәм‎
  •  Armenian: աջակցություն‎, օգնություն‎
  •  Bokmål: hjelp‎ (masc.) (f)
  •  Icelandic: aðstoð‎ (fem.), hjálp‎ (fem.)
  •  Mandarin: 援助‎ (yuánzhù), 幫助‎, 帮助‎ (bāngzhù)
  •  Czech: asistence‎ (fem.), pomoc‎ (fem.)
  •  Nynorsk: hjelp‎ (fem.)
  •  Swedish: hjälp‎ (common)
  •  Spanish: asistencia‎ (fem.)
  •  Vietnamese: giúp đỡ‎
  •  Belarusian: дапамо́га‎ (fem.)
  •  Estonian: abi‎
  •  Irish: cabhair‎ (fem.), cuidiú‎ (masc.), cúnamh‎ (masc.)
  •  Komi-Permyak: отсӧт‎
  •  Uzbek: еrdam‎, koʻmak‎, yordam‎, bermoq‎
  •  Georgian: დახმარება‎
  •  Haitian Creole: asistans‎
  •  Thai: ความช่วยเหลือ‎ (kwaam chûay lĕua)
  •  Dutch: hulp‎ (fem.), assistentie‎ (fem.)
  •  Albanian: ndihmë‎ (fem.)

What is the origin of the word recourse?

According to Etymonline, the word recourse  has been used since the Middle English recours and comes from the Middle French recours, Old French recours and Late Latin recursus, from the Latin currere, the past participle of recurrere. These stems also created the related words recur, recurrence and recurring, referring to a course of action that repeats. This word is of Indo-European roots. 

What are synonyms and antonyms of recourse?

There are many equivalent words that a person can use in place of the word recourse. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms for the word recourse is provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  makeshift
  •  resorts
  •  last resort
  •  way out
  •  other fish to fry
  •  ace in the hole
  •  refuges
  •  option
  •  measure
  •  opportunity
  •  asylum
  •  last hope
  •  reserve
  •  back-up
  •  druthers
  •  alternate
  •  replacement
  •  sanctuary
  •  remedy
  •  possibility
  •  admittance
  •  hope
  •  backup
  •  request
  •  last-resort
  •  expedient
  •  resort
  •  choice
  •  dernier ressort
  •  temporary help
  •  refuge
  •  substitute
  •  other
  •  shift
  •  last expedient
  •  stopgap
  •  help
  •  aid
  •  recourses
  •  support
  •  access
  •  other fish in sea
  •   supply
  •  shelter
  •  assistance
  •  entreaty
  •  accretion
  •  advantage
  •  sub
  •  temporary solution
  •  availability
  •  convenience
  •  improvisation
  •  preference
  •  agency
  •  privilege
  •  instrumentality
  •  accessory
  •  haven
  •  stand-in
  •  temporary expedient
  •  consumption
  •  redundancy
  •  device
  •  retreat
  •  accusation
  •  method
  •  abetment
  •  relief
  •  stock
  •  turn
  •  wherewithal
  •  facility
  •  haunt
  •  acquirement
  •  submission
  •  hangout
  •  capacity
  •  step
  •  appliance
  •  stab
  •  ability
  •  trump card
  •  call
  •  surrogate
  •  resorting
  •  deal
  •  capital
  •  selection
  •  service
  •  means
  •  pick
  •  resource
  •  pis aller
  •  alternative
  •  last resource
  •  expediency
  •  appeal
  •  redress
  •  application

There are also many words and phrases that mean the opposite of the word recourse. These opposite words are called antonyms, which are another quick and easy way to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms of recourse is also provided by Power Thesaurus

  •  affliction
  •  difficulty
  •  debit
  •  damage
  •  albatross
  •  contretemps
  •  curse
  •  drawback
  •  blemish
  •  drag
  •  block
  •  avoid
  •  check
  •  disutility
  •  disfavour
  •  disbenefit
  •  hindrance
  •  curb
  •  deadweight
  •  disable
  •  appropriate response
  •  disfavor
  •  blockage
  •  distress
  •  burden
  •  cross
  •  chain
  •  disapproval
  •  defect
  •  baggage
  •  blow
  •  barrier
  •  downside
  •  bad fortune
  •  disadvantage
  •  deterrence
  •  discouragement
  •  delay
  •  injury
  •  clog
  •  bad luck
  •  deflect
  •  constraint
  •  bar
  •  debt
  •  deterrent
  •  ball and chain
  •  complication
  •  deficiency
  •  disorder

Overall, the word recourse means a source of help in a difficult situation. It can also refer to the right of a creditor to demand payment from an endorser or guarantor when the primary debtor fails to pay, or the liability of the endorser to demand payment from the endorser or drawer of a negotiable instrument. A recourse note can occur under various conditions of the use of a person, as opposed to non-recourse debt. Try making flashcards to memorize this word’s definition. 

Sources:

  1. Recourse Definition | Investopedia 
  2. Recourse definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
  3. Recourse synonyms – 503 Words and Phrases for Recourse | Power Thesaurus 
  4. recourse: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  5. Recourse antonyms – 164 Opposites of Recourse | Power Thesaurus 
  6. recourse | Origin and meaning of recourse | Online Etymology Dictionary