noun
- the act of retracting or the state of being retracted.
- withdrawal of a promise, statement, opinion, etc.: His retraction of the libel came too late.
- retractile power.
noun
- the act of retracting or state of being retracted
- the withdrawal of a statement, charge, etc
late 14c., “withdrawal of an opinion,” from Latin retractionem (nominative retractio) “a drawing back, hesitation, refusal,” noun of action from past participle stem of retractare “revoke, cancel,” from re- “back” (see re-) + tractere “draw violently,” frequentative of trahere “to draw” (see tract (n.1)). Originally the title of a book by St. Augustine correcting his former writings. Meaning “recantation of opinion with admission of error” is from 1540s.
n.
- The act of drawing back or in; shrinking.
- The act of pulling apart, usually as part of a surgical procedure.
- The posterior movement of teeth, usually with the aid of an orthodontic appliance.