"R" Word Origins

A shortened form of "resynchronize."

From the Old French verb retaillier, "to cut off a piece" — reflecting the idea of selling goods in smaller portions rather than wholesale.

From Old French retenir, from Latin retinere, "to hold back," from re- + tenere ("to hold").

From Latin retaliare, "to repay in kind," related to talio, the legal principle of "an eye for an eye."

From Latin retardare, "to make slow," from re- + tardus ("slow").

From retard + -ed.

From Middle English *recchen, *rechen (attested in arechen), hræcen (“to cough up”), from Old English hrǣċan (“to clear the throat, hawk, spit”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrākijan, from Proto-Germanic *hrēkijaną (“to clear one's throat”), from Proto-Indo-European *kreg- (“to caw, crow”). Cognate with Icelandic hrækja (“to hawk, spit”), Limburgish räöke (“to induce vomiting”), Bavarian reckn (“to retch, gag”) and German recken (“to retch, gag”). Also related with German Rachen (“throat”).

Borrowed from Latin rete.

Ultimately from a Semitic language. Compare Arabic رَتَم (ratam), Biblical Hebrew רותם

From Middle English retencioun, borrowed from Latin retentiō, retentiōnis, from retentus, the perfect passive participle of retineō (“retain”) (from re- (“back, again”) + teneō (“hold, keep”)).

From Latin reticens, "keeping silent," from reticere ("to remain silent").

From Medieval Latin rete, "net" — describing the net-like web of blood vessels at the back of the eye.

From Ancient Greek ῥητίνη (rhētínē, “resin”) + -oid.

From retina plus the chemical suffix -ol, used for alcohols.

From Old French retenue, "that which is retained," from retenir ("to retain").

From Middle French retirer, "to draw back," from re- + tirer ("to pull").

From French retirement, from retirer ("to withdraw") — the same root as "retire."

From Latin retorquere, "to twist back" — the flask was named for its bent neck.

From French retoucher.

From French retracer, from Middle French retracier.

From Latin retrahere, "to draw back" — from re- ("back") + trahere ("to pull").

Compare French rétractation, Latin retractatio (“a revision, reconsideration”).

From re- + traction, or from retract + -ion.

From retract + -ive.

From retract + -or, "one that retracts."

From Old French retret, ultimately from Latin retrahere, "to draw back" — a doublet of "retract."

Probably partly from both of the following: * Middle French retrenchement, retranchement (“removal of a portion from a larger whole; reduction of expenses”) (modern French retranchement (“deduction, subtraction”)), from retrancher, retranchier (“to get rid of, remove completely; to remove a portion from a larger whole; to reduce expenses; to deprive (oneself) of”) [and other forms] + -ment (suffix forming nouns usually of an action or a state resulting from an action). Retrancher and retranchier are derived from Old French re- (prefix meaning ‘again, once more’) + tranchier, trenchier (“to cut”) [and other forms] (modern French trancher (“to slice”)); the further etymology is uncertain, but one possibility is that the Old French words are from Latin truncāre, the present active infinitive of truncō (“to mutilate by cutting off pieces; to truncate”), from truncus (“tree trunk; piece cut off”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *twerḱ- (“to carve; to cut off, trim”). * retrench (“to cut down, reduce; to reduce expenses; to make (an employee) redundant”) + -ment. Retrench is derived from Middle French retrancher, retranchier: see above.

From re- + trial.

From Latin retribuere, "to repay."

From Old French retrover, "to find again" — from re- ("again") + trover ("to find").

From retrieve + -er.

Borrowed from French rétro, from Latin retro, "backward."

From Latin retroducere, retroductum (“to lead or bring back”), from retro (“backward”) + ducere (“to lead”).

From Latin retrogradus, "moving backward" — from retro ("backward") + gradus ("step").

From Latin retrōgressus, perfect active participle of retrōgradior (“retrograde”).

From Latin retrospicere, "to look back at."

From retrospect + -ive.

From retro- + -version.

From retrovirology + -ist.

From retro- + virology.

From retro- ("backward") + virus, named for its reversed direction of genetic replication.

From Latin retrusus (“concealed”), past participle of retrudere.

From Old French retourner, "to turn back," from re- + tornare ("to turn").

From return + -er.

The sandwich's exact origin is disputed, but it's widely linked to early 20th-century American delis and named after a customer or chef called Reuben.

From re- + unification.

From French réunion, "re- + union."

From re- + unite.