retort
/ˈɹiˌtɔːt/REE-tawrt
/ˈɹiˌtɔɹt/REE-tawrt
Meaningto twist back
Common meaning: a sharp, quick reply
- reagain; back
- tortto twist, wringLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1879 · scan
‘again’ + ‘to twist, wring’ → retort
Journey through time
- Latintorqueō, torsī, tortum‘to twist, wring’
- Englishretort‘a sharp, quick reply’ · today
re- also in: reactrebelrelaxrepelreply
tort also in: contortioncontortionist
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin torqueō ‘to twist, wring’.
Did you know (A sharp reply…): our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry RETORT, p. 506 · dictionary scan
Did you know (Latin torquere, to…): our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry torqueō, p. 1879 · dictionary scan
Roots
- torqueō, torsī, tortum Latin “to twist, wring”
Related words
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app