Exact historical dictionary sense
Recommend in Webster's 1913 dictionary
The 1913 record labels recommend as verb. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.
[Pref. re- + commend: cf. F. recommander.]
Cross-verified historical senseIn Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "recommend" is labeled verb. Its etymology is recorded as: "[Pref. re- + commend: cf. F. recommander.]" The selected historical definition says: "To commend to the favorable notice of another; to commit to another's care, confidence, or acceptance, with favoring representations; to put in a favorable light before any one; to bestow commendation on; as, he recommended resting the mind and exercising the body."