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retro

Etymology and origin of the Latin word retro

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Terence
Ultimate origin
Latin (re-)

Forms

retrō (not comparable)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from ⟨*reter⟩, from re- “back” with the suffix ⟨-ter⟩, and the ending ⟨-ō⟩, like citrō, intrō and ultrō.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Terence, of a position behind.[2] Köbler dates Terence 190–159 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant towards the rear, backwards, as in Virgil; behind, as in Terence; back to where one came from, as in Lucretius; in the opposite direction; and back in time, back to the beginnings, as in Cicero.[2] It was also used as a preposition, and it forms compounds such as retrōcēdō “to go back”.[2][5]

In Medieval Latin it was a preposition “behind”, an adverb “in arrears”, and an indeclinable adjective “former”.[6] Old French riere “behind”, from it, is in rieregarde “rear guard”, the source of English rear.[7]

Timeline

  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it.[2][4]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of going back.[2][4]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of moving backwards.[2][4]
  • c. 1600 – English rear is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Backwards, back; behind.[2]
  2. Back in time.[2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) In arrears.[6]

Preposition

  1. Behind.[6][2]

Word family

  • deretro
  • retroagō
  • retrōcēdō
  • retrōdō
  • retroeō
  • retrōgradior
  • retrōdūcō
  • retrōpendulus
  • retrorsus
  • retrōuersus
  • re-
  • citrō
  • intrō
  • ultrō
  • English rear

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  6. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Retro.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/retro. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·