retracto

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [rɛˈtrak.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [reˈtrak.to]^[1]

Forms

retractō (present infinitive retractāre, perfect active retractāvī, supine retractātum); first conjugation^[1] Many manuscripts spell it retrectō.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin re- + tractō (“to handle”), the frequentative of trahō “to draw”.^[4][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨trahō⟩ as Proto-Italic *traxe/o-.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are Cicero and Lucretius.^[4] Köbler dates Cicero 81–43 BC and Lucretius 96–55 BC.^[6]

Semantic evolution

In the sense “to draw back” it meant to draw back into oneself, as in Lucretius; to unravel threads, as in Apuleius; to hang back, shrink, as in Cicero; and to revoke, retract, as in Virgil.^[4] In the sense “to handle again” it meant to take tools or arms in hand again, as in Virgil; to deal with again, revise, as in Cicero; and to go over in one's mind, recollect, as in Ovid.^[4][3]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to reconsider, revise, review, withdraw, retract, refuse.^[7] It survives as Italian ritrattare and Spanish retractar.^[1]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of drawing back.^[4][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of hesitation and revision.^[4][6]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of retracting and of handling again.^[4][6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To draw back; to hang back, shrink.^[4]
2. To retract, revoke.^[4][7]
3. To handle again.^[4][2]
4. To deal with again, revise.^[4][7]
5. To go over in the mind, recollect.^[4]

Word family

• retractātiō
• retractator
• retractātus

Related words

• tractō
• trahō
• retrahō
• English retract

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson