correspond

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌkɒɹɪˈspɒnd/, /ˌkɒɹəˈspɒnd/
(General American, dialects of Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌkoɹəˈspɑnd/
- Audio (California): (file)
(New York City) IPA^(key): /ˌkɑɹəˈspɑnd/
- Audio (New Jersey): (file)
(New England) IPA^(key): /ˌkɒɹəˈspɒnd/
(Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌkoɹəˈspɒnd/
(Indic) IPA^(key): /kərəsˈpɔɳɖ/
Hyphenation: cor‧res‧pond
Rhymes: -ɒnd

Verb

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

(intransitive, constructed with to) To be equivalent or similar in character, quantity, quality, origin, structure, function etc.
(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.
(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

Translations

to be equivalent or similar

Arabic: مَاثَلَ (māṯala)
Armenian: համապատասխանել (hy) (hamapatasxanel)
Belarusian: адпавяда́ць impf (adpavjadácʹ)
Bulgarian: отгова́рям (bg) impf (otgovárjam), съотве́тствувам (bg) impf (sǎotvétstvuvam), съотве́тствам (bg) impf (sǎotvétstvam)
Carpathian Rusyn: отвітити (otvityty)
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
Thai: สอดคล้อง (th) (sɔ̀ɔt-klɔ́ɔng), สัมพันธ์ (th) (sǎm-pan)
Ukrainian: відповіда́ти (uk) impf (vidpovidáty)

to exchange messages

Arabic: راسَلَ (rāsala)
Armenian: գրագրվել (gragrvel)
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)
Hebrew: הִתְכַּתֵּב (he) (hitkattév)
Hungarian: levelezik (hu)
Italian: corrispondere (it)
Japanese: 文通する (ja) (ぶんつうする, buntsū suru)
Manx: co-screeu
Māori: 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 (Canada (Shawinigan)): (file)

Verb

correspond

third-person singular present indicative of correspondre