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retract

ret·ract

US/ɹɪˈtɹækt/ uncommon archaic obsolete rare

verb

1.

formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure

  • “He retracted his earlier statements about his religion”
  • “She abjured her beliefs”
Synonyms
2.

pull away from a source of disgust or fear

Synonyms
3.

use a surgical instrument to hold open (the edges of a wound or an organ)

Synonyms
4.

pull inward or towards a center

  • “The pilot drew in the landing gear”
  • “The cat retracted his claws”
Synonyms

Origin

Partly: * from retract (verb) (see etymology 1); and * from Late Latin retractus (“a pulling back, retreat; refuge”), from Latin retractus (“withdrawn”), the perfect passive participle of Latin retrahō (“to draw or pull back, withdraw; to bring back; to compel to turn back; to recall; to get back, recover; to hold back, restrain, withhold; to remove, take away; to bring to light again; (Late Latin) to delay”) (see etymology 1) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). Doublet of retrait, retreat, and ritratto.

Phrases

  • deformation retract

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.