It’s no wonder that I find myself reaching for Allison Russell’s album The Returner this time of year and have the song Springtime playing on repeat.  Because, of course, it is springtime and also this uplifting song sparks joy in my francophile word nerd heart with the following opening lyrics:

So long, farewell, adieu, adieu (so long, farewell, adieu, adieu)
To that tunnel I went through (to that tunnel I went through)
And my reward, my recompense? (My reward, my recompense?)
Springtime of my present tense.

With Springtime stuck in my head again, recompense caught my attention.  The word seemed like something I might have learned back in law school when my Black’s Law Dictionary was my best friend.  Curious, I consulted my leatherbound copy of my BFF on display in my office and found a legal definition at odds with the positive message I have taken from the song: repayment, compensation, retribution.  Wow, retribution? That seemed a bit harsh.  Then I remembered that Allison Russell is from Quebec and looked at how recompense might be used in French.  Bien sûr!  In French, and in the context used in the song, recompense is more synonymous with reward, and also conveys a sense of recognition of effort, an achievement, or merit.

So once again, my word of the month has a French twist.  To avoid any confusion with its harsher English cousin, let us be clear: la récompense.