Etymology: Ultimately < French recrue supplement (1501 in Middle French as recreue ), fresh or supplementary body of troops (1550 in Middle French as recreue ), use as noun of feminine past participle of recroistre to increase again (see recrease v.); the word probably originally entered English either via a form in either Dutch or German (see below), or via French regional (Hainault) †recrute (although this is apparently only securely attested in an isolated instance (1592 in Middle French), and it is unclear whether this form had wider currency), variant of recrue (perhaps influenced by Dutch †recreute , although this is apparently first attested slightly later). Compare Dutch recruut , (now usually) rekruut (1600 as †recreute ; also †recreu (1627)), German Rekrut (beginning of the 17th cent. as †recrutten (plural), †recruiten (plural); also as †recruite (first half of the 17th cent.), †Recrout (mid 18th cent.), †Recrut (second half of the 18th cent.)); both < French, both earliest in sense 2. The sense ‘member of a fresh or supplementary body of troops’ is apparently not securely attested in French, Dutch, or German until considerably later than in English, and sense 1a probably shows a semantic development within English. Compare slightly earlier recrew n., and also later recruit v. The senses corresponding to branch II. are apparently not paralleled in French, but compare Italian recluta recruitment (17th cent. as †recrude, plural noun; now obsolete), increase (second half of the 17th cent.).The French noun was also borrowed into other European languages; compare Swedish rekryt (1627 as †recreu, 1629 as †recry, etc.), Danish rekrut (apparently 17th cent., earliest in the compound rekrutpenge recruit's wages; also †recrut, †recryt, †rekryt), and (with dissimilation of consonants) Spanish recluta (1618, originally in transferred use with reference to women sent to the Shah's harem; also †recruta (1644)), Italian recluta (1644; also †recruta (a1680 or earlier)).

Etymology: Probably < recruit n. Compare Swedish rekrytera (1634 as †recrutera ; also †recreutera (1636)), and also French recruter (1691; probably after Dutch: see note), Portuguese recrutar (17th cent.), Dutch recruteeren (1668 as †recruteren ), German rekrutieren (1694), Danish rekrutere (1664 as †recreutere ; also †recrutere ). Compare also (with dissimilation of consonants) Spanish reclutar (1640), Portuguese †reclutar (1720), Italian reclutare (1668). Compare slightly earlier recrew v.¹Although French recruter has frequently been considered the etymon of both the English verb and most parallel verbs in other European languages, this is unlikely on chronological grounds, as it is apparently only attested later. Its earliest attestation in a letter by the dramatist Racine which criticizes its use in French newspapers published in Holland suggests that it may have been formed as a calque on Dutch recruteeren. The following early quot. shows either (apparently isolated) alteration after Spanish reclutar, or perhaps even independent borrowing < Spanish:1652–60 in J. T. Gilbert Contemp. Hist. Ireland (1879) I. i. 45 Such colonells as had not theire men extant were dismissed to theire severall homes to reclute, himself still in the field..wheare we leave him reclutinge his men.