Recoupe

v. follow after

(v. t.)
To reimburse; to indemnify; -- often used reflexively and in the passive.
  

(v. t.)
To keep back rightfully (a part), as if by cutting off, so as to diminish a sum due; to take off (a part) from damages; to deduct; as, where a landlord recouped the rent of premises from damages awarded to the plaintiff for eviction.
  

(v. t.)
To get an equivalent or compensation for; as, to recoup money lost at the gaming table; to recoup one's losses in the share market.
  

This word is derived from the French recouper, to cut again. In law it signifies the right and the act of making a set-off, defalcation, or discount, by the defendant, to the claim of the plaintiff.
   

This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.