Other forms: redeemed, redeeming, redeems
To redeem is to win back your honour after failing, or to trade in a voucher. Redeem himself, redeem a voucher, redeem the points.
The commercial sense is the literal one: redeeming a coupon, redeeming a bond at maturity, redeeming something from a pawnbroker — all of them buying back. The moral sense is a metaphor from that, and in Christian theology redemption is the central idea. A redeeming feature is the one good thing about something otherwise bad. Note redemption, redeemable; and past redemption.
1verbredeemTo win back honour or worth after failing.
“After missing the penalty, he redeemed himself by scoring the winning goal.”
2verbtradeTo trade in a voucher or buy something back.
“You can redeem this voucher for a free coffee at any of our cafés.”
redeem is a buying or winning back.
Latin redimere is re- plus emere, to buy — to buy back. Exempt, premium and example come from the same buying, and redemption is literally a purchase back.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₁em-
Middle English
redemen
English, today
redeem
Built from
From Middle English redemen. From Middle English redemen, modified from Old French redimer, from Latin redimō (“release; obviate; atone for”), itself from re- (“back; again”) + emō (“buy; gain, take, procure”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA