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Added 1 October 2026

receive

/ɹɪˈsiːv/ verb

In Latin: recipiō, accipiō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about receive at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To be given, sent, or paid something.
He received many presents for his birthday.
To take, as something that is offered; to accept.
He had the offer of employment, but he would not receive it.
To take goods knowing them to be stolen.

noun

An operation in which data is received.

Origin

From Middle English receyven, from Old French receivre, from Latin recipere (“take back, accept, etc.”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to take”); see capacious. Compare conceive, deceive, perceive. Displaced native Middle English terms in -fon/-fangen (e.g. afon, anfon, afangen, underfangen, etc. "to receive" from Old English -fōn), native Middle English thiggen (“to receive”) (from Old English þiċġan), and non-native Middle English aquilen, enquilen (“to receive”) (from Old French aquillir, encueillir).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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