Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “retraction” come from?

Retraction comes from Middle English retracten, from Latin retractus, the past participle of retrahere, combining re- "back" and trahere "to draw or pull."

retraction (English): An act or instance of retracting; A statement...

Definitions

  1. An act or instance of retracting; A statement...

Ancestry of “retraction”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishre-again, anew; a completive or intensification of...
2Middle Englishre-—
3Old Frenchre-re-
4Latinrĕ-—
5Latinprōdūcō—
6Latinprō-—
7Proto-Italic*pro-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “retraction”

  • preretraction
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →