requite

Meaning

Verb

1. To repay (a debt owed); specifically, to recompense or reward someone for (a favour, a service rendered, etc.)
2. To repay (someone) a debt owed; specifically, to recompense or reward (someone) for a favour, a service rendered, etc.
3. To respond to or reciprocate (feelings, especially affection or love which has been shown).
4. To do or give a thing in return for (something).
5. To retaliate or seek revenge for (an insult, a wrong, etc.).; to avenge.
6. To retaliate or seek revenge against (someone) for an insult, a wrong, etc.; also (reflexive, rare), to seek revenge for (oneself).
7. (obsolete) To greet (someone) in return.
8. (obsolete) To make up for (something); to compensate.
9. (obsolete) To respond to (a question, a statement, etc.).
10. (obsolete) To take the place of (someone or something); to replace.
11. (obsolete) Of an action, a quality, etc.: to be a reward for (itself).
12. To recompense, to repay.
13. To retaliate, to seek revenge.

Noun

Chiefly in the form in requite for or of: synonym of requital (“compensation for damage or loss; return in kind, recompense, repayment, reward”)

Synonyms

retaliate

repay

revenge

avenge

take vengeance

reward

recompense

return

reciprocate

compensate

remunerate

render

pay back

take revenge

revenge oneself

requital

reinstate

remand

remit

repair

report

reprisal

restore

retribution

send back

strike back

retribute

uncompress

yield

give in return

pay a debt

restitute

take reprisals

renumerate

ertaliate

recoil upon

report out

wreak vengeance

be even with

come back upon

bring back

bring to

equalize

fee

fix

indemnify

make amends

neutralize

pay

💸

pay out

recoup

redeem

reestablish

rehabilitate

reimburse

Hyphenated as

re‧quite

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɹɪˈkwaɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: requiten

Cognate with French: quitter

In summary

The verb is derived from Middle English requiten (“to repay”), and then partly from both of the following:
* From re- (prefix meaning ‘again; back, backward’) + quiten (“to pay, pay for; to repay; to acquit (someone of a charge), exonerate; to prove (oneself) innocent; to answer, reply; to atone for (a sin); to compensate, make amends; to depart, leave; to equal, match; to fulfil (an obligation); to give back, return; to give up, relinquish; to release, set free; to render (a service); to reward; to give retribution, take revenge”) (from Old French quitter (“to free, liberate”) (modern French quitter), from quitte (“free, liberated”) + -er (suffix forming verbs)). Quitte is derived from Latin quiētus (“at rest; quiet”), the perfect passive participle of quiēscō (“to repose, rest; to sleep; to be quiet or still”), from quiēs (“rest, repose; sleep; calm, peace, quiet”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“to rest; peace, rest”)) + -scō (suffix forming verbs with the sense ‘to begin to do [something]’).
* From Old French requiter, requitter (“to free or liberate again”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + quitter (see above).
The noun is derived from the verb.