All 8 Uses of
redeem
in
The Scarlet Letter
- If he possesses an unusual share of native energy, or the enervating magic of place do not operate too long upon him, his forfeited powers may be redeemable.
p. 37.8 *redeemable = able to be recoveredstandard suffix: The suffix "-able" means able to be. This is the same pattern you see in words like breakable, understandable, and comfortable.
- Had there been a Papist among the crowd of Puritans, he might have seen in this beautiful woman, so picturesque in her attire and mien, and with the infant at her bosom, an object to remind him of the image of Divine Maternity, which so many illustrious painters have vied with one another to represent; something which should remind him, indeed, but only by contrast, of that sacred image of sinless motherhood, whose infant was to redeem the world.
p. 53.7redeem = save
- I have met with grievous mishaps by sea and land, and have been long held in bonds among the heathen-folk to the southward; and am now brought hither by this Indian to be redeemed out of my captivity.
p. 58.9redeemed = saved
- —guilty as they may be, retaining, nevertheless, a zeal for God's glory and man's welfare, they shrink from displaying themselves black and filthy in the view of men; because, thenceforward, no good can be achieved by them; no evil of the past be redeemed by better service.
p. 122.6 *redeemed = made up for
- She determined to redeem her error so far as it might yet be possible.
p. 154.5redeem = make up for (something bad)
- It was the exhilarating effect—upon a prisoner just escaped from the dungeon of his own heart—of breathing the wild, free atmosphere of an unredeemed, unchristianised, lawless region.
p. 188.6unredeemed = unsavedstandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unredeemed means not and reverses the meaning of redeemed. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- It soon proved its efficacy, and redeemed the leech's pledge.†
p. 68.2
- What can a ruined soul like mine effect towards the redemption of other souls?†
p. 178.3
Definitions:
-
(1)
(redeem as in: its main redeeming quality is...) to make up for something bad; or to save
-
(2)
(redeem as in: redeem the coupon) exchange, convert, or pay offThe exact meaning of redeem can depend upon its context. For example:
- "to redeem a coupon" -- exchange something for something else of value
- "to redeem stock" -- sell or convert to cash
- "to redeem a mortgage" -- pay off a loan
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
In Christianity, redemption is used to reference Jesus' sacrifice to make up for human sin.
Old usage (as might be found in the Bible or in Shakespeare) also uses redeeming time to refer to making the best use of time.