res·cue (rĕs'kyū)
tr.v., -cued, -cu·ing, -cues.

1. To set free, as from danger or imprisonment; save. See synonyms at save¹.
2. Law. To take from legal custody by force.

n.

1. An act of rescuing; a deliverance.
2. Law. Removal from legal custody by force.

[Middle English rescouen, from Old French rescourre : re-, re- + escourre, to shake (from Latin excutere : ex-, ex- + quatere, to shake).]

rescuable res'cu·a·ble adj.
rescuer res'cu·er n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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