Origin: Latin suffix -ate
Rebate has 7 different meanings across 2 categories:
A deduction from an amount that is paid; an abatement.
"The store issued a cash rebate of fifty dollars to offset the high price of the new laptop."
In plain English: A rebate is money you get back after buying something, usually sent to your bank account later.
"The store offered a fifty-dollar rebate on every new laptop purchased during the sale."
Usage: A rebate is money returned to you after making a purchase, often as part of a promotional offer. Unlike a discount applied at the time of sale, a rebate requires submitting proof of purchase later to receive the refund.
cut a rebate in (timber or stone)
"The carpenter carefully cut a rebate in the timber to fit the door frame perfectly."
To deduct or return an amount from a bill or payment
"The store offered to rebate $20 from my total purchase price if I bought three items at once."
In plain English: To rebate something means to give someone back part of the money they paid, usually after buying it.
"The store will rebate fifty dollars to anyone who buys this new blender today."
Rebate comes from the Old French word rabatre, which is related to abate. Originally meaning to beat back or reduce something, it traveled into English with that sense of diminishing an amount.