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retort

 - 8 dictionary results

re⋅tort

1  [ri-tawrt]
Use retort in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to reply to, usually in a sharp or retaliatory way; reply in kind to.
2. to return (an accusation, epithet, etc.) upon the person uttering it.
3. to answer (an argument or the like) by another to the contrary.
–noun
4. a severe, incisive, or witty reply, esp. one that counters a first speaker's statement, argument, etc.
5. the act of retorting.
Origin:
1590–1600; < L retortus (ptp. of retorquēre to bend back), equiv. to re- re- + torqu(ēre) to twist, bend + -tus ptp. suffix, with -qut- > -t-

Related forms:
re⋅tort⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. retaliate. 4. riposte, rejoinder, response. See answer.

re⋅tort

2  [ri-tawrt]
–noun
1. Chemistry.
a. a vessel, commonly a glass bulb with a long neck bent downward, used for distilling or decomposing substances by heat.
b. a refractory chamber, generally cylindrically shaped, within which some substance, as ore or coal, is heated as part of a smelting or manufacturing process.
c. an airtight, usually cylindrical vessel of fire clay or iron, used in the destructive distillation chiefly of coal and wood in the manufacture of illuminating gas.
2. a sterilizer for food cans.
–verb (used with object)
3. to sterilize food after it is sealed in a container, by steam or other heating methods.
4. Chemistry. to subject (shale, ore, etc.) to heat and possibly reduced pressure in order to produce fuel oil, metal, etc.
Origin:
1550–60; < MF retorte < ML retorta, n. use of fem. of L retortus; see retort 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To retort
re·tort 1   (rĭ-tôrt')   
v.   re·tort·ed, re·tort·ing, re·torts

v.   tr.

    1. To reply, especially to answer in a quick, caustic, or witty manner. See Synonyms at answer.

    2. To present a counterargument to.

  2. To return in kind; pay back.

v.   intr.

  1. To make a reply, especially a quick, caustic, or witty one.

  2. To present a counterargument.

  3. To return like for like; retaliate.

n.  

  1. A quick incisive reply, especially one that turns the first speaker's words to his or her own disadvantage.

  2. The act or an instance of retorting.


[Latin retorquēre, retort-, to bend back, retort : re-, re- + torquēre, to bend, twist; see terkw- in Indo-European roots.]
re·tort'er n.
re·tort 2   (rĭ-tôrt', rē'tôrt')   
n.  A closed laboratory vessel with an outlet tube, used for distillation, sublimation, or decomposition by heat.

[French retorte, from Medieval Latin retorta, from feminine of Latin retortus, past participle of retorquēre, to bend back; see retort1.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

retort  (v.)
c.1557, from L. retortus, pp. of retorquere "turn back," from re- "back" + torquere "to twist" (see thwart). The noun is 1600, from the verb.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: re·tort
Pronunciation: ri-'to(&)rt, 'rE-"
Function: noun
: a vessel or chamber in which substances are distilled or decomposed by heat
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

retort re·tort (rĭ-tôrt', rē'tôrt')
n.
A closed laboratory vessel with an outlet tube, used for distillation, sublimation, or decomposition by heat.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

retort

vessel used for distillation of substances that are placed inside and subjected to heat. The simple form of retort, used in some laboratories, is a glass or metal bulb having a long, curved spout through which the distillate may pass to enter a receiving vessel. The design dates back to the cucurbit (flask) used by medieval alchemists.

Learn more about retort with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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