Etymology : Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French reconcilier, from Latin reconciliare, from re- + conciliare to conciliate
Pronunciation : re-k&n-"sIl
Function : verb
Date : 14th century
1. restore to a state of harmony, settle, conciliate. reconcile\rec"on*cile`\, v. i. to become reconciled. [obs.]reconcile \rec"on*cile`\ (-s?l`), v. t. [imp. & p. p. reconciled (-s?ld`); p. pr. & vb. n. reconciling.] [f. réconcilier, l. reconciliare; pref. re- re- + conciliare to bring together, to unite. see:
conciliate.].
2. to cause to be friendly again; to conciliate anew; to restore to friendship; to bring back to harmony; to cause to be no longer at variance; as, to reconcile persons who have quarreled. propitious now and reconciled by prayer. the church [if defiled] is interdicted till it be reconciled [i.e., restored to sanctity] by the bishop. we pray you be ye reconciled to god. v.
3. 2. to bring to acquiescence, content, or quiet submission; as, to reconcile one's self to affictions.
4. to make consistent or congruous; to bring to agreement or suitableness; -- followed by with or to. the great men among the ancients understood how to reconcile manual labor with affairs of state. some figures monstrous and misshaped appear, considered singly, or beheld too near; which, but proportioned to their light or place, due distance reconciles to form and grace.
5. to adjust; to settle; as, to reconcile differences.
6. To cause to be friendly again; to conciliate anew; to restore to friendship; to bring back to harmony; to cause to be no longer at variance; as, to reconcile persons who have quarreled.
7. To bring to acquiescence, content, or quiet submission; as, to reconcile one's self to affictions.
8. To make consistent or congruous; to bring to agreement or suitableness; followed by with or to.
9. To adjust; to settle; as, to reconcile differences.
10. To become reconciled. come to terms; "After some discussion we finally made up".
11. 1. If you reconcile two beliefs, facts, or demands that seem to be opposed or completely different, you find a way in which they can both be true or both be successful. It's difficult to reconcile the demands of my job and the desire to be a good father Negotiators must now work out how to reconcile these demands with American demands for access.
12. If you are reconciled with someone, you become friendly with them again after a quarrel or disagreement. He never believed he and Susan would be reconciled Devlin was reconciled with the Catholic Church in his last few days.
13. If you reconcile two people, you make them become friends again after a quarrel or disagreement. my attempt to reconcile him with Toby.
14. If you reconcile yourself to an unpleasant situation, you accept it, although it does not make you happy to do so. She had reconciled herself to never seeing him again. + reconciled rec·on·ciled She felt a little more reconciled to her lot.