Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

recurve

/ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.11 in modern English

Syllables: re-curve
IPA: /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A type of knife blade shape that involves several curves including a concave curve on a portion of the edge, resulting in a belly that is lower than the handle bottom.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A landform consisting of a hook at the tip of a coastal spit.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To curve again, to rebend.

verb

To curve back on itself.

verb

To change direction.

Example Sentences

"not as much recurve as a kukri would have, but plenty enough to make me smile"
"Nearly all of the storms which originate in the Cape Verde region first move in a westerly direction over the Atlantic and later recurve in a northerly or northeasterly direction."
"He also developed a methodology for predicting when a hurricane will recurve to the north and for predicting average storm motion based on the latitude and time of year."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re- Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *(s)kr̥wós Proto-Italic *korwos Latin curvus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin curvo Latin recurvōder. English recurve Derived from Latin recurvō.

Usage

Inflected Forms

recurves (plural) recurves (present, singular) recurving (participle, present) recurved (participle, past) recurved (past)

Derived Forms

recurvebill

Phrases

recurve-billed bushbird recurve bow

Questions

How do you pronounce recurve?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/.
What does recurve mean?: A type of knife blade shape that involves several curves including a concave curve on a portion of the edge, resulting in a belly that is lower than the handle bottom.
Where does recurve come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re- Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *(s)kr̥wós Proto-Italic *korwos Latin curvus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin curvo Latin recurvōder. English recurve Derived from Latin recurvō.

How to pronounce recurve

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “recurve”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)v/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “recurve” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.