retort Hear it!

retort1 definition

re·tort (ri tôrt)

transitive verb

  1. to turn (an insult, epithet, deed, etc.) back upon the person from whom it came
  2. to answer (an argument, etc.) in kind
  3. to say in reply or response

Etymology: < L retortus, pp. of retorquere, to twist back < re-, back + torquere, to twist: see tort

intransitive verb

to reply, esp. in a sharp, quick, or witty way, or in kind

noun

  1. a quick, sharp, or witty reply, esp. one that turns the words of the previous speaker back upon that speaker
  2. the act or practice of making such reply
retort2 definition

re·tort (ri tôrt)

noun

  1. a container, generally of glass and with a long tube, in which substances are distilled, as in a laboratory
  2. a vessel in which ore is heated to extract a metal, coal is heated to produce gas, etc.

Etymology: Fr retorte < ML retorta < L, fem. of retortus: see retort

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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