correspond

English

Etymology

From Middle French correspondre, from Latin com- (“with”) + respondeo (“to match, to answer to”), equivalent to co- +‎ respond.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌkɔɹəˈspɑnd/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌkɒɹəˈspɒnd/
• (NYC) IPA^(key): /ˌkɑɹəˈspɑnd/
• Hyphenation: cor‧res‧pond
• Rhymes: -ɒnd

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (NYC)

  (file)

Verb

correspond (third-person singular simple present corresponds, present participle corresponding, simple past and past participle corresponded)

1. (intransitive, constructed with to) To be equivalent or similar in character, quantity, quality, origin, structure, function etc.
3. (intransitive, constructed with with) to exchange messages, especially by postal letter, over a period of time.

   I've been corresponding with my German pen pal for three years.

4. (obsolete) To have sex with.
   • 1751, Tobias Smollett, chapter 88, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, volume III:

     He pleaded guilty to the charge, so far as acknowledging that he had corresponded with other women lately, in order to get the better of his affection for me, but the experiment had failed, and he found that he should be for ever miserable.

   • 1756, Thomas Amory, Life of John Buncle:

     When a Babylonian and his wife had a mind to correspond, they always first lit up the fuming pan, imagining it improved the passion.

Derived terms

• correspondent
• correspondence

Translations

to be equivalent or similar

• Arabic: مَاثَلَ (māṯala)
• Belarusian: адпавяда́ць impf (adpavjadácʹ)
• Bulgarian: отгова́рям (bg) impf (otgovárjam), съотве́тствувам (bg) impf (sǎotvétstvuvam), съотве́тствам (bg) impf (sǎotvétstvam)
• Catalan: correspondre (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 對應／对应 (zh) (duìyìng)

• Czech: odpovídat (cs) impf
• Danish: korrespondere
• Dutch: corresponderen (nl)
• Esperanto: respondi (eo)
• Finnish: vastata (fi), olla vastaava
• French: correspondre (fr) (...à qqchose)
• German: entsprechen (de), korrespondieren (de)
• Greek: αντιστοιχώ (el) (antistoichó)
• Hungarian: megfelel (hu)
• Ingrian: vassata
• Italian: corrispondere (it)
• Korean: 일치하다 (ko) (ilchihada), 부합하다 (ko) (buhaphada)
• Latin: constō (la), congruō
• Polish: odpowiadać (pl) impf
• Portuguese: corresponder (pt)
• Russian: соотве́тствовать (ru) (sootvétstvovatʹ), согласо́вываться (ru) (soglasóvyvatʹsja), соотноси́ться (ru) (sootnosítʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: freagair do/ri/air
• Slovak: odpovedať impf
• Spanish: corresponder (es), equivaler (es)
• Swedish: motsvara (sv), stämma (sv)
• Tagalog: sumulat
• Ukrainian: відповіда́ти (uk) impf (vidpovidáty)

to exchange messages

• Arabic: راسَلَ (rāsala)
• Belarusian: перапі́свацца impf (pjerapísvacca), карэспандава́ць impf (karespandavácʹ)
• Bulgarian: кореспонди́рам impf or pf (korespondíram)
• Danish: svare (da), korrespondere
• Dutch: corresponderen (nl)
• Esperanto: korespondi (eo)
• Finnish: olla kirjeenvaihdossa
• French: correspondre (fr) (...avec qqun)
• German: korrespondieren (de)
• Greek: αλληλογραφώ (el) (allilografó)
• Hungarian: levelezik (hu)
• Italian: corrispondere (it)
• Japanese: 文通する (ja) (ぶんつうする, buntsū suru)
• Manx: co-screeu
• Maori: tautuhituhi
• Polish: korespondować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: corresponder (pt)
• Russian: перепи́сываться (ru) impf (perepísyvatʹsja), корреспонди́ровать (ru) impf (korrespondírovatʹ) (dated or very formal)
• Slovene: dopisovati si impf
• Spanish: escribir con (es), corresponderse (es), cartearse (es)
• Swedish: korrespondera (sv), brevväxla (sv)
• Ukrainian: листува́тися (uk) impf (lystuvátysja), перепи́суватися impf (perepýsuvatysja), кореспондува́ти impf (koresponduváty)
• Volapük: spodön (vo)

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (CAN)

  (file)

Verb

correspond

1. third-person singular present indicative of correspondre