Nearby Words

retro

[re-troh] Example Sentences Origin

ret·ro

[re-troh]
adjective Informal.
1.
retroactive: retro pay.
2.
of or designating the style of an earlier time: retro clothes.

Origin:
by shortening

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Retro is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Example Sentences
  • In fact, they do not regard him as a retro old guy but as a compelling contemporary presence.
  • But the housebreaking fad is now in danger of becoming retro.
  • It's light and well built and has a bit of a retro look to it.
EXPAND
Dictionary.com Unabridged

retro-

a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin meaning “backward” (retrogress); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (retrorocket).

Origin:
< Latin, representing retrō (adv.), backward, back, behind
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To retro
Collins
World English Dictionary
retro (ˈrɛtrəʊ)
 
n , pl -ros
1.  short for retrorocket
 
adj
2.  denoting something associated with or revived from the past: retro dressing; retro fashion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

retro-
prefix meaning "backwards, behind," from L. retro (prep.) "backward, back, behind," probably originally the ablative form of *reteros, based on re- "back." Common in combinations in post-classical Latin.
EXPAND

retro
1974, from Fr. rétro (1973), short for rétrograde, supposedly first used of a revival c.1968 of Eva Peron-inspired fashions (see retrograde). There is an isolated use in Eng. from 1768.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

retro- pref.

  1. Backward; back: retroposition.

  2. Situated behind: retroperitoneum.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
retro
French rétro (French clipping for rétrospectif, that is, retrospective)
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature