retragere

Forms

retragere f (plural retrageri)^[1]

Etymology

It is the long infinitive of retrage (“to withdraw”), formed from Romanian retrage + -re.^[1][2][3][4] The verb is formed on re- and trage (“to pull”) after French retirer, which Tiktin gives with retirare;^[5][3][6][1] Wiktionary names retraire as the model.^[5][3][6][1] Scriban connects the noun with retraite.^[7] The simple verb continues Latin trahō (“to draw, drag”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin's first record is from 1782, in a text published in the historical memoirs of the Romanian Academy; the verb retrage is recorded from 1794.^[2][6] MDA2 dates the noun from 1829, in the newspaper Curierul românesc, in the sense “drawing back”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Its senses follow the verb: drawing back, taking back, the withdrawal of an army before the enemy, retirement from a post and seclusion, and the place where one lives secluded.^[3][4] The army gave the evening signal that sends soldiers to their quarters and the torchlight parade, retragere cu torțe.^[3][7] A bate în retragere “to beat the retreat” means also “to give in”.^[9] Architecture uses it for a part of a façade set back from the main plane.^[10]

Timeline

• 1782 – first record of the noun.^[2]
• 1794 – the verb retrage.^[6][3]
• 1829 – in Curierul românesc.^[3]
• 1886 – Barcianu has oficier în retragere “retired officer”.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of drawing back or moving away; withdrawal; the taking back of something.^[4][3]
2. (military) A retreat: giving up ground to bring troops out of an unfavourable situation into a better position;^[9] a bate în retragere: to retreat, and figuratively to give in.^[4][9]
3. Leaving a post or an activity; retirement: ofițer în retragere “retired officer”.^[10][7]
4. Seclusion; the place where one withdraws, a refuge.^[4][3]
5. The evening signal that calls soldiers to their quarters;^[7] retragere cu torțe: a torchlight parade or demonstration held in the evening.^[4][3][7]
6. (architecture) A part of a façade set back from its main plane.^[10]

Related words

• retrage
• retras
• trage

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. retragere
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 699
4. ^ a b c d e f DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 949
5. ^ a b Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. retrage
6. ^ a b c d Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. retrage
7. ^ a b c d e Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 1122
8. ^ Cihac, A. de (1870), Dictionnaire d'étymologie daco-romane I: Éléments latins comparés avec les autres langues romanes, Frankfurt am Main, p. 285
9. ^ a b c Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. retragere
10. ^ a b c Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. retragere
11. ^ Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 548