Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “retro” come from?

Retro comes from French rétro, from Latin retro meaning backward, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- meaning to turn.

retro (English): Of, or relating to, the past, past times, or the...

Definitions

  1. Of, or relating to, the past, past times, or the...

Ancestry of “retro”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchrétroshortening of rétroviseur, mirror; retro
2Frenchrétroviseurrear-view mirror
3Frenchrétro-retro-, back, behind
4Latinretrō—
5Latindūcere—
6Proto-Italicdoukōlead
7Proto-Indo-Europeandéwketi—
8Proto-Indo-Europeandewk-to pull, to draw; to lead

Words derived from “retro”

  • retroplacental
  • retro future
  • retromania
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dewk- →