retro-prefix
1. Miscellaneous terms.† retrocoupling adj. Obsolete rare that may be joined together at the back.† retrodeflect v. Obsolete rare transitive to cause to bend downward and upward.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.† retroduct v. Zoology and Anatomy Obsolete rare transitive to draw (a part of the body) backwards; also intransitive.† retropresbyteral adj. Obsolete rare lying behind the presbytery (or choir and altar) of a cathedral or other large church.† retroreception n. Obsolete rare the action of receiving something back again.† retro-seer n. Obsolete rare a person who sees into the past.† retrosusception n. Obsolete rare the action of taking something back.† retrotransference n. Obsolete rare = retro-transfer n.
retrocurved adj. 
/ˈrɛtrəˌkərvd/ curved backwards.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)kəːvd/
, /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)kəːvd/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊˌkərvd/
, /ˈrɛtroʊˌkərvd//ˈrɛtrəˌkərvd/ΚΠ
1759 W. Hillary Observ. Changes Air & Dis. Barbados 223 Sometimes the Head, Neck, and Back, are only retrocurved, and the Legs strongly and rigidly extended.
1884 W. H. G. Kingston Western World iii. 62 The two retro-curved horns..rise out of bony sockets above the eyes.
1901 W. L. Jepson Flora Western Middle Calif. 247 Pedicels after anthesis commonly retrocurved [in Erodium].
2001 W. S. Moore & S. S. Ahn Endovascular Surg. 663 Access to the distal reaches of the pudendal artery has been obtained..using long retrocurved catheters for endoluminal manipulations.
retrocognition n.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊkɒɡˈnɪʃn/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊkɒɡˈnɪʃn/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˌkɑɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/
knowledge of the past that has been supernaturally or paranormally acquired./ˌrɛtroʊˌkɑɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the paranormal > [noun] > acquisition of information supernaturally > of the past
retrocognitiona1901
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > parapsychology > [noun] > cognition of past events
retrocognitiona1901
a1901 F. W. H. Myers Human Personality (1903) I. 31 Our retrocognitions seem often a recovery of isolated fragments of thought and feeling.
1969 J. J. Macintosh in Macintosh & Coval Business of Reason 154 In the absence of a body there is no way of distinguishing between veridical memories and what might be called accurate retro-cognition.
1973 Daily Tel. 30 Nov. (Colour Suppl.) 27/4 Retrocognition, as precognition, but of past events.
retrocognitive adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊˈkɒɡnᵻtɪv/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊˈkɒɡnᵻtɪv/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈkɑɡnədɪv/
knowing the past by supernatural or paranormal abilities./ˌrɛtroʊˈkɑɡnədɪv/ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the paranormal > [adjective] > metagnomy > retrocognitive
retrocognitive1892
1892 F. W. H. Myers in Proc. Soc. Psychical Res. 8 507 I hope to discuss the possible explanations of retrocognitive scenes in a future paper.
1998 Cosmopolitan (U.K. ed.) Aug. 46/1 Retrocognitive dreams give a retrospective insight into how an event happened.
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1781 W. Dyer (title) The apiary laid open: or, an advantageous treatise on the construction and use of retrocoupling bee boxes, (a new invention).
1828 Loudon's Gardener's Mag. 3 414 Description and Use of Dyer's Retro-coupling Bee-boxes.
retro-date v.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)deɪt/
, /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)deɪt/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊˌdeɪt/
transitive to put back to an earlier date./ˈrɛtroʊˌdeɪt/ΚΠ
1844 H. Browne Ordo Sæclorum App. i. §6. 489 Petavius, Cardinal Noris and others, are..of opinion that the Second Book follows the customary epoch, while the first retro-dates the years from 1 Nisan 312 b.c.
1902 Asiatic Monogr. 3 xii. 131 Nöldeke, following Moslim interpreters, is inclined to retrodate these verses to the time before the conquest of Mecca.
c2003 L. Somigli Legitimizing Artist 243 (note) He proposes to retro-date the appearance of ‘Futurism as a doctrine’..to 1905.
ΚΠ
1895 I. K. Funk et al. Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. II. 1524/3 Retrodeflect, to cause to bend downward and upward.
retrodeviation n.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊdiːvɪˈeɪʃn/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊdiːvɪˈeɪʃn/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˌdiviˈeɪʃ(ə)n/
[compare German Rückwärtslagerung (1872 or earlier)] Medicine (now rare) = retrodisplacement n./ˌrɛtroʊˌdiviˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1872 Jrnl. Gynæcol. Soc. Boston 7 336 From Dr. Schroeder of Leipsig, his Essay upon the Aetiology of Ante and Retro-Deviations of the Uterus.
1880 P. F. Mundé Minor Surg. Gynecol. 54 An anterior displacement may be changed to a retro-deviation or vice versâ, by a few simple manipulations.
1903 Lancet 14 Mar. 727/1 Useful as this operation on the round ligament is in cases of retro-deviation, its inefficiency in cases of prolapse and procidentia is evident.
1995 Internat. Jrnl. Pediatric Otorhinolaryngol. 31 89 Other laryngeal findings include laryngeal cyst, subglottic diverticulum and one described as a retrodeviation of the tracheal opening.
retrodisplacement n.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊdɪsˈpleɪsm(ə)nt/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊdɪsˈpleɪsm(ə)nt/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˌdɪsˈpleɪsmənt/
Medicine posterior displacement of an organ or part of the body, esp. retroversion or retroflexion of the uterus; an instance of this./ˌrɛtroʊˌdɪsˈpleɪsmənt/ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > [noun] > prolapse
procidentia1566
precipitationa1576
prolapsion1580
procidence1601
prolapsus1636
prolapse1676
exitus1797
collapse1833
retrodisplacement1870
ptosis1897
visceroptosis1897
1870 Boston Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 5 414/1 Retro-displacements of the uterus, as retro-flexion and retro-version, are the rarest forms of displacements.
1903 Med. Rec. (N.Y.) 27 June 434/2 (heading) The treatment by anterior vaginal section of retrodisplacement of the uterus, complicated by adhesions.
2002 Jrnl. Oral & Maxillofacial Surg. 60 526 Although the retrodisplacement of the tongue base was improved, the improvement in lateral pharyngeal wall stability was the most striking.
ΚΠ
1871 Communications Essex Inst. 6 146 These coraco-humeral muscles adduct and retroduct the arm.
1871 Med. Rec. 5 273/2 In man, the deltoid as a whole abducts; but its clavicular parts anteduct, and its scapular fibres retroduct.
1899 J. B. Beaver Surg. Anat. I. 379 The posterior fibers retroduct the arm and rotate it outward.
retroelement n.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrəʊˌɛlᵻm(ə)nt/
, /ˈrɛtrəʊˌɛlᵻm(ə)nt/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊˌɛləmənt/
Biochemistry = retrotransposon n./ˈrɛtroʊˌɛləmənt/ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > genetic components > [noun] > nucleic acid > DNA > section of
operator1961
satellite1962
junk DNA1963
spacer1963
transposon1974
antisense1977
retroposon1983
retrotransposon1985
retroelement1988
microsatellite1989
1988 Cell 53 333/1 Recent studies of Ty [sc. a yeast DNA sequence] biology have provided insights into the relationships between these elements that use reverse transcriptase, collectively called retroelements.
2007 T. A. Brown Genomes 3 ix. 257 RNA transposons, or retroelements, are features of eukaryotic genomes but have not so far been discovered in prokaryotes.
retroflux n.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)flʌks/
, /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)flʌks/U.S. /ˈrɛtrəˌfləks/
rare backward flow./ˈrɛtrəˌfləks/ΚΠ
1883 Trans. Obstetr. Soc. 24 215 Regurgitation or retroflux of the retained fluid through a tube into the peritoneal cavity, just after free vent is given to it by opening the vagina, is a rare, and mechanically a curious, phenomenon.
2000 Plant Physiol. 123 201/1 On a leaf scale, this ‘retroflux’ of 18O-enriched CO2 from the leaf back to the atmosphere is observed as an enrichment in the C18OO in air passing over the leaf.
retrofocus adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊˈfəʊkəs/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊˈfəʊkəs/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈfoʊkəs/
Photography designating a lens in which the distance from the back of the rear lens to the image plane (the back focus) is greater than the focal length of the lens, so allowing space for a reflex mirror or prism.Retrofocus lenses are typically designed as inverted telephoto lenses, with the negative element placed before the positive one instead of after it./ˌrɛtroʊˈfoʊkəs/ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > photography > action of taking photograph > technical factors > [adjective] > types of focusing
hyperfocal1905
retrofocus1951
1951 Jrnl. Criminal Law 42 419 High speed, large aperture, wide angle and short focal length are combined in the Retrofocus, F. 2.5, 35 mm lens manufactured by Pierre Angenieux in France.
1977 J. Hedgecoe Photographer's Handbk. 323 In wide-angle, retro-focus constructions the back focus is much greater than the focal length which allows room for mirrors etc. within the camera construction.
2004 E. Wildi Hasselblad Man. (ed. 6) xiv. 226 Wide-angle lenses on SLR cameras must have the retrofocus design.
retroform v. /ˈrɛtrəˌfɔrm/ transitive to reshape back into an earlier or previous form.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)fɔːm/
, /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)fɔːm/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊˌfɔrm/
, /ˈrɛtroʊˌfɔrm//ˈrɛtrəˌfɔrm/ΚΠ
1848 T. De Quincey Protestantism in Tait's Edinb. Mag. Feb. 85 They were reforming the Church,..viz., retroforming it, moulding it back into compliance with its original form and model.
2002 Southern Rev. 38 189 The story hands itself over to postmodern tropes. It is retroformed into splinters,..shards and fragments as a natural, prefabricated hypertext.
retro-ignition n.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊɪɡˈnɪʃn/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊɪɡˈnɪʃn/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊɪɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/
(a) accidental discharge of the gas in a cathode-ray tube, caused by the heat the tube produces (rare); (b) Astronautics ignition of one of more retro-rockets./ˌrɛtroʊɪɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1938 L. Ladislas de Kramolin U.S. Patent 2,129,730 3/1 A screen for preventing back flash or retro-ignition in gas-filled tubes.
1963 W. E. Giberson in C. I. Cummings & H. R. Lawrence Technol. Lunar Explor. 883 The spacecraft is commanded to orient its thrust axis along the velocity vector anticipated at the time of retro ignition.
2005 P. Such Earthbaby 338 My window is now pointing into space. I close my visor. ‘Retro-ignition! We're going in, Grainger!’
retrolocation n.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊləʊˈkeɪʃn/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊləʊˈkeɪʃn/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˌloʊˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/
Chiefly Medicine (now rare) backward or posterior location or displacement, esp. of the uterus./ˌrɛtroʊˌloʊˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1813 T. Jefferson Let. 16 Aug. in Writings (1984) 1298 [In list of newly formed words] Retro-location.
1886 R. H. Fitz in W. Pepper et al. Syst. Pract. Med. IV. 153 Retro-location is liable to induce vesical irritation by putting the vesico-vaginal wall on the stretch and thereby dragging the neck of the bladder.
1920 W. P. Graves Gynecol. (new ed.) 456 Retroposition and retrolocation are terms vaguely used, and may include retroversion, retroflexion, and retrocession.
retro-migration n.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊmʌɪˈɡreɪʃn/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊmʌɪˈɡreɪʃn/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˌmaɪˈɡreɪʃ(ə)n/
migration back to a place of origin./ˌrɛtroʊˌmaɪˈɡreɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1884 Papers relating to Her Majesty's Colonial Possessions: Rep. 1881–3 222 in Parl. Papers (C. 4015) LIV. 1 The following are the statistics of the Immigration and Retro-migration of Indian coolies, as recorded in the Department of the Indian Protectorate at Penang.
1980 Wilson Bull. 92 486 They spiral upwards and backtrack westwards against the wind... Such birds seem to be in retromigration.
2000 M. J. Kopanic in R. Frucht Encycl. E. Europe 256 Migration continued after World War I until the Great Depression reversed the trend and retro-migration sent some peoples back eastward.
retromorphosis n. /ˌrɛtrəʊmɔːˈfəʊsɪs/, /ˌrɛtroʊˌmɔrˈfoʊsəs/ (a) (Biology and Medicine) change or development that is considered to be retrograde or regressive; retrograde metamorphosis; an instance of this (now rare); (b) Geology retrograde metamorphism (see retrograde adj. 3f).
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈmɔːfəsɪs/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈmɔːfəsɪs//ˌrɛtrəʊmɔːˈfəʊsɪs/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈmɔrfəsəs/
, /ˌrɛtroʊˈmɔrfəsəs//ˌrɛtroʊˌmɔrˈfoʊsəs/ΚΠ
1860 N.Y. Monthly Rev. & Buffalo Med. Jrnl. 15 821 The plasma is prevented from being organized into true tissue—the cytoid corpuscle is more or less degraded, and tends, by retro-morphosis, to degenerate into pus, an effete corpuscle, no longer subservient to the uses of the economy.
1886 W. Pepper et al. Syst. Pract. Med. IV. 257 I think this pressure often inaugurates a retromorphosis that results in the final disappearance of the tumor.
1961 R. E. Snodgrass in Trans. Amer. Entomol. Soc. 87 279 The apparent metamorphosis of the larva into the imago, therefore, is simply the return to the parental form accompanied by the discarding of the specialized larval structures. It is thus not a process of transmutation, and might appropriately be termed the retromorphosis of the insect.
1981 Chem. Geol 34 319 The Cenozoic sedimentary rocks of western Senegal have undergone successively two types of transformations:..(2) a hypogene hydrothermal alteration which again enriched the rocks in the alkali elements and produced a real chemical retromorphosis.
1996 Tectonophysics 260 122/1 It develops And–Cd–Ch or Sill–Mu paragenesis with retromorphosis of kyanite in sillimanite.
retrooperative adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊˈɒp(ə)rətɪv/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊˈɒp(ə)rətɪv/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈɑp(ə)rədɪv/
operating retrospectively./ˌrɛtroʊˈɑp(ə)rədɪv/ΚΠ
1851 Rep. Deb. & Proc. Convent. Revision Constit. Ohio 502/2 If a law is retro-operative, it may contravene a clause of the Constitution of the State.
1910 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 10 Jan. 3/3 Ordinance is not retro-operative.
2007 H. Ávila Theory Legal Princ. ii. 57 It is a retrooperative procedure, since it is the principles that determine which facts are pertinent through an axiological revisitation of the factual material.
retroplexed adj.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)plɛkst/
, /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)plɛkst/U.S. /ˈrɛtrəˌplɛkst/
rare folded back upon itself; retroflexed./ˈrɛtrəˌplɛkst/ΚΠ
1858 A. De Morgan Let. 1 Jan. in R. P. Graves Life Sir W. R. Hamilton (1889) III. 539 Cauchy's proof..is Argand's, much complexed, perplexed, retroplexed, and omniplexed.
1887 N. Carolina Med. Jrnl. 20 338 Examination revealed womb rather attenuated, retroplexed.
1913 New Eng. Med. Gaz. Dec. 668 The uterus changed from a retroplexed position to one of normal antiversion [sic].
ΚΠ
1849 Ecclesiologist 9 274 The propriety of the term whereby you describe this retropresbyteral space.
retropropulsion n.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊprəˈpʌlʃn/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊprəˈpʌlʃn/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊprəˈpəlʃ(ə)n/
backward propulsion; spec. propulsion provided by retro-rockets.In quot. 1949 in fictional context; the meaning of the word is unclear. In quot. 1951 in figurative context./ˌrɛtroʊprəˈpəlʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1879 G. Fleming Text-bk. Vet. Obstetr. 438 This retropropulsion should not be made directly forward, but obliquely, so as to press the region we desire to get rid of upward, downward, or to either side, according to circumstances.
1949 Punch 10 Aug. 168/2 He was merely finishing what he had to say about intervalved retro-propulsion.
1951 Bks. Abroad 25 23/1 Increase the reading speed to equal that of supersonic planes by using a method that must also be one of retropropulsion.
1958 Jrnl. Astronaut. Sci. 5 12/1 These problems would be greatly mitigated by the availability of retro-propulsion and the power and propulsion advances necessary to provide it.
2003 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 361 2996 For these missions, to the heliosphere..at 100 AU and beyond, retropropulsion is not required.
ΚΠ
1829 J. Bentham Justice & Codif. Petit., Abr. Petit. Justice 65 Now, as to retrotransference and retroreception, or say, return of the suit to the originating judicatory.
ΚΠ
1821 R. Pollok in D. Pollok Life 117 May not these our retro-seers have made some mistake in consulting the..past?
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > [noun] > taking back or again
retaking1436
gain-taking1538
reassumption1611
replevin1619
withdrawment1640
retrotraction1673
resumption1694
retrosusception1827
take-back1873
snatch-back1905
1827 J. Bentham Rationale Judicial Evid. IV. viii. viii. 139 Practice of the ecclesiastical courts: transmission and retro-susception, as in the equity courts.
1830 J. Bentham Official Aptitude Maximized Pref. p. xiii For the purpose of retro-susception or say resumption.
retrosynthetic adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)sɪnˈθɛtɪk/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)sɪnˈθɛtɪk/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˌsɪnˈθɛdɪk/
Chemistry designating a synthetic method in which a desired molecule is hypothetically broken into simpler fragments over a number of steps, allowing a procedure for synthesizing the molecule to be devised; relating to or involving this method./ˌrɛtroʊˌsɪnˈθɛdɪk/ΚΠ
1972 E. J. Corey et al. in Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 94 441/1 We shall use the term antithetic to be the opposite of synthetic and synonymous with reverse- or retro-synthetic; that is, the term antithetic is used to designate a direction of analysis or flow opposite to the synthetic direction.
1993 New Scientist 17 July 18/2 Nicolaou and his colleagues used a daring approach to make rapamycin. They worked out a ‘retrosynthetic’ method.
2001 P. Ball Bright Earth 401 To make complex organic molecules, chemists now routinely conduct an analogous ‘thought experiment’ called retrosynthetic analysis.
retro-transfer n. /ˈrɛtrəʊˌtranzfəː/, /ˈrɛtrəʊˌtrɑːnsfəː/, /ˈrɛtrəʊˌtrɑːnzfəː/,
Brit. /ˈrɛtrəʊˌtransfəː/
, /ˈrɛtrəʊˌtransfəː//ˈrɛtrəʊˌtranzfəː//ˈrɛtrəʊˌtrɑːnsfəː//ˈrɛtrəʊˌtrɑːnzfəː/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊˌtræn(t)sfər/
the action or an act of transferring something back again./ˈrɛtroʊˌtræn(t)sfər/ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > transference > [noun] > again or back
retransferring1651
retransfer1695
retro-transfer1869
1869 W. S. Dallas tr. F. Müller Facts & Arguments for Darwin xii. 123 A retro-transfer of late-acquired advantages to this early period of life.
1987 S.-A. Kolm in P. Koslowski Individual Liberty & Democratic Decision-making ii. iv. 114 Retro-transfers from heirs to people from whom they receive can sometimes also be made.
2005 C. C. Collins Werner Hegemann & Search for Universal Urbanism i. 21 These publications are emblematic of the transfer and retro-transfer of international urbanism in its early stages.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > [noun] > again or to former owner
reassignment1650
reconveyance1768
retrotransference1829
1829 J. Bentham Justice & Codif. Petit., Abr. Petit. Justice 60 Transference is followed by retrotransference.
retrotransposition n. /ˌrɛtrəʊtrɑːnspəˈzɪʃn/,
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊtranspəˈzɪʃn/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊtranspəˈzɪʃn//ˌrɛtrəʊtrɑːnspəˈzɪʃn/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˌtræn(t)spəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/
Molecular Biology transposition of a DNA sequence via an RNA intermediate; cf. retrotransposon n./ˌrɛtroʊˌtræn(t)spəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1985 Nature 15 Aug. 575/1 For the intron to survive more than one cycle of retrotransposition, the ends of the element would have to correspond exactly to the region spliced out of the pre-mRNA.
1990 EMBO Jrnl. 9 2489/2 The resultant gradient in copy number..is consistent with the proposed mechanism of propagation through an mRNA intermediate via retrotransposition.
2006 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Aug. 33/2 These two processes, duplication and retrotransposition, are major forces that remodel genomes over the course of evolutionary time, generating new variation in organisms.
retrovision n.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)ˌvɪʒn/
, /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)ˌvɪʒn/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊˌvɪʒ(ə)n/
the action or an act of seeing into the past./ˈrɛtroʊˌvɪʒ(ə)n/ΚΠ
1824 C. Lamb Let. 15 May (1935) II. 425 They had precisely the same retro-visions and prophetic visions.
1900 J. Jastrow Fact & Fable in Psychol. 224 All the varieties of supernatural conditions—conscious lucidity, conscious clairvoyance,..spontaneous retrovision.
1997 P. Helm Faith & Understanding ii. iv. 85 Since for Augustine all that exists for creatures in time is the present,..our accurate descriptions of what is past and present..cannot be based upon a power of retrovision or prevision.
2. Anatomy. Forming terms with the sense ‘posterior to (the part of the body denoted by the following adjective or noun)’.
retrocaecal adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈsiːkl/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈsiːkl/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈsik(ə)l/
(also retrocecal) /ˌrɛtroʊˈsik(ə)l/ΚΠ
1882 A. B. Palmer Treat. Sci. & Pract. Med. 701 It is a retro-cæcal phlegmonous inflammation.
1949 H. W. C. Vines Green's Man. Pathol. (ed. 17) xxxiii. 932 Infection may also spread upwards in the retroperitoneal tissues from such lesions as a retro-cæcal appendicitis.
2003 Clin. Infectious Dis. 37 1334/2 In the operating room, he was found to have an actively inflamed retrocecal appendix.
retrocardiac adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈkɑːdɪak/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈkɑːdɪak/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈkɑrdiˌæk/
/ˌrɛtroʊˈkɑrdiˌæk/ΚΠ
1889 W. Ewart Bronchi & Pulmonary Blood-vessels 138 The district included between the downward and outward slope of the three basic bronchi and the posterior part of the inner surface of the lung is termed the retro-cardiac district and the bronchus supplying this district, the retro-cardiac stem.
1908 Practitioner Dec. 863 The ‘retro-cardiac triangle’, seen when the patient is in the lateral oblique position. This triangle is bounded by the heart in front, the spine behind, and the diaphragm below.
2000 Environm. Health Perspectives 108 686/1 The pattern was characterized by evenly distributed fine opacities extending from apex to base, including retrosternal and retrocardiac areas on lateral chest X ray.
retroduodenal adj. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)dʒuːəˈdiːnl/, /ˌrɛtroʊd(j)uˈɑdn̩(ə)l/
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)djuːəˈdiːnl/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)djuːəˈdiːnl//ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)dʒuːəˈdiːnl/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˌd(j)uəˈdin(ə)l/
, /ˌrɛtroʊˌd(j)uəˈdin(ə)l//ˌrɛtroʊd(j)uˈɑdn̩(ə)l/ΚΠ
1895 Times & Reg. (U.S.) 15 June 488/1 He dilates on the great difficulties in the way of exploring the bile passages in malignant disease, particularly the retro-duodenal or retro-pancreatic regions.
1936 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 76 63 The caudate element of the Spigelian complex is very long,..occupying the retroduodenal space—in those primates (lemurs and platyrrhines) in which a mesoduodenum persists.
2009 Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 69 476/1 The retroduodenal perforation, diagnosed after the procedure was successfully completed, was managed with conservative treatment.
retromastoid adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈmastɔɪd/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈmastɔɪd/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈmæˌstɔɪd/
[after French rétro-mastoïdienne (1878 in the source translated in quot. 1878)] /ˌrɛtroʊˈmæˌstɔɪd/ΚΠ
1878 R. T. H. Bartley tr. P. Topinard Anthropol. 171 The retro-mastoid sutures [Fr. les sutures rétro-mastoïdiennes] are complicated.
1924 Papers Peabody Mus. Amer. Archaeol. & Ethnol. 11 i. 32 One medium retromastoid foramen is found on each side.
2001 Science 12 Jan. 295/2 (caption) Pairwise differences between Mladeč 5 and the most complete Neandertal males... Retromastoid process prominent.
retromaxillary adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)makˈsɪl(ə)ri/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)makˈsɪl(ə)ri/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈmæksəˌlɛri/
[compare French rétro-maxillaire (1863 or earlier)] /ˌrɛtroʊˈmæksəˌlɛri/ΚΠ
1870 1st Med. & Surg. Rep. Boston City Hosp. 175 It..seems more especially adapted to the class of tumors he [sc. Langenbeck] calls ‘retro-maxillary’, which grow from the spheno-maxillary fossa.
1889 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 1888 95 In Lemur varius the ears, retromaxillary region and the neck uniting the head lines, are white.
2003 Surg. & Radiol. Anat. 25 180/1 The infratemporal fossa is a deep retromaxillary space corresponding to the inferior aspect of the middle cranial fossa.
retro-ocular adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrəʊˈɒkjᵿlə/
, /ˌrɛtrəʊˈɒkjᵿlə/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈɑkjələr/
[compare French retro-oculaire (1842 or earlier)] /ˌrɛtroʊˈɑkjələr/ΚΠ
1867 Med. Times & Gaz. 26 Oct. 470/2 The author dwells at some length on retro-ocular effusions of blood with inflammatory thickening of the capsule of Tenon.
1955 R. Macintosh & M. Ostlere Local Analgesia Head & Neck xvi. 119 Inadvertent puncture of a vein during injection of local anaesthetic solution into the retro-ocular tissues may cause a haematoma.
2009 Clin. Immunol. 131 364/1 RTX [= rituximab] therapy acted directly on the orbital components that were causing optic nerve compression in the retroocular space (eye muscles and adipose tissue).
retropubic adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈpjuːbɪk/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈpjuːbɪk/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈpjubɪk/
/ˌrɛtroʊˈpjubɪk/ΚΠ
1880 Trans. Edinb. Obstetr. Soc. 1877–80 5 iii. 89 The retro-pubic anatomical attachments of the bladder admit of its distention and passage upwards.
1918 Cunningham's Text-bk. Anat. (ed. 5) 1306 (caption) Retro-pubic pad of fat.
2009 European Urol. 55 1136/2 The treatment plan for all patients included open radical retropubic prostatectomy.
retrosternal adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈstəːnl/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈstəːnl/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈstərn(ə)l/
/ˌrɛtroʊˈstərn(ə)l/ΚΠ
1870 Richmond & Louisville Med. Jrnl. 10 60 The right ventricle, which forms anteriorly the greatest part of the heart, presents one portion retro-sternal, and another extra-sternal.
1949 H. Bailey Demonstr. Physical Signs Clin. Surg. (ed. 11) xiii. 115 Because it is out of sight, a retrosternal goitre is notoriously difficult to diagnose.
2001 Hosp. Doctor 15 Mar. 18/4 Patients should be instructed to..seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of oesophageal irritation such as..pain on swallowing, retrosternal pain, or new or worsening heartburn.
retrotarsal adj.
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈtɑːsl/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈtɑːsl/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈtɑrs(ə)l/
/ˌrɛtroʊˈtɑrs(ə)l/ΚΠ
1861 Med. Times & Gaz. 25 May 558/1 Small, roundish..bodies, imbedded in the conjunctiva,..or scattered sparsely over its surface, both in the tarsal or retro-tarsal portion of the palpebral lining.
1875 H. Walton Pract. Treat. Dis. Eye (ed. 3) 846 The oculo-palpebral portion, called also the retro-tarsal fold.
1987 Surv. Ophthalmol. 32 108/1 The superior conjunctiva is then incised horizontally as far away from the limbus as possible, following the reflection of the bulbar conjunctiva on the retrotarsal fold.
retrouterine adj. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈjuːtərᵻn/, /ˌrɛtroʊˈjudəˌraɪn/
Brit. /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈjuːtərʌɪn/
, /ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈjuːtərʌɪn//ˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈjuːtərᵻn/U.S. /ˌrɛtroʊˈjudərən/
, /ˌrɛtroʊˈjudərən//ˌrɛtroʊˈjudəˌraɪn/ΚΠ
1851 Monthly Jrnl. Med. Sci. Sept. 278 (heading) Retro-uterine sanguineous tumours.
1938 Public Health Rep. (U.S. Public Health Service) 53 196/2 Retrouterine abscess.
2008 Dis. Colon & Rectum 51 1619/1 Prolonged intrapelvic retrouterine balloon inflation simulated the pelvic compressive forces of labor.
3. Astronautics. Forming nouns relating to retro-rockets and their use in spacecraft during landing or in entering and leaving orbit. See also retro-ignition n., retropropulsion n. at sense 1.
retro-impulse n.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrəʊˌɪmpʌls/
, /ˈrɛtrəʊˌɪmpʌls/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊˌɪmˌpəls/
an impulse provided by a retro-rocket./ˈrɛtroʊˌɪmˌpəls/ΚΠ
1960 Sky & Telescope July 19/2 Due to a breakdown..the retro-impulse was directed with a deviation from the calculated course.
1973 Space Sci. Rev. 14 366 The required spacecraft retro-impulse for a capture by the target planet varies greatly as a function of orbit geometry.
1998 A. V. Labunsky et al. Multiple Gravity Assist Interplanetary Trajectories ii. 53 The impulses VII and VIV to be determined are retroimpulses.
retromanoeuvre n.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)məˌnuːvə/
, /ˈrɛtrə(ʊ)məˌnuːvə/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊməˌn(j)uvər/
chiefly U.S. a manoeuvre of a spacecraft in which retro-rockets are used./ˈrɛtroʊməˌn(j)uvər/ΚΠ
1962 Rev. Space Res. (Nat. Acad. Sci. Publ. 1079) x. 9 This relaxation of tolerance..will be justified by the increased reliability of a mission which will not require a final retromaneuver.
1970 Bull. Atomic Scientists Apr. 29/1 It undocks, deorbits with a retro maneuver, enters the atmosphere..and jets back to a landing strip.
2001 J. T. Richelson Wizards of Langley iii. 85 The spacecraft's engines had been fired to send it cruising toward the moon. On February 3, it was oriented for retromaneuver.
retro-system n.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrəʊˌsɪst(ᵻ)m/
, /ˈrɛtrəʊˌsɪst(ᵻ)m/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊˌsɪst(ᵻ)m/
a system of retro-rockets./ˈrɛtroʊˌsɪst(ᵻ)m/ΚΠ
1960 Interavia Nov. 1430/1 Launch the test lunar spacecraft by a ballistic rocket, letting it..plunge towards the earth with the retrosystem functioning.
1976 Science 11 June 1069/1 Mars 2 and 3..carried landers as well as retro-systems to achieve orbits.
2007 A. J. Ball et al. Planetary Landers & Entry Probes iv. 46 The retro system may need to be cut off some metres above the surface, to free-fall.
retro-thrust n.
Brit. /ˈrɛtrəʊθrʌst/
, /ˈrɛtrəʊθrʌst/U.S. /ˈrɛtroʊˌθrəst/
thrust provided by retro-rockets; the action or an act of using such thrust; cf. reverse thrust n. at reverse adj. and adv. Compounds 2./ˈrɛtroʊˌθrəst/ΚΠ
1956 Missiles & Rockets Oct. 64/1 Larger rockets employing a retro-thrust braking system during the descent to the moon.
1979 D. Adams Hitch Hiker's Guide to Galaxy xvii. 98 ‘Okay, Ford,’ he said, ‘full retro thrust and ten degrees starboard’.
2001 D. Shayler Gemini 238 Perform a retro-thrust to a different orbit and attempt rendezvous.
4. Chemistry. Prefixed to the names of (organic) reaction types in order to designate the equivalent processes taking place in reverse, as retro-ene reaction, retro-pinacol rearrangement, etc.
ΚΠ
1921 Jrnl. Chem. Soc. 120 i. 233 (heading) Some retropinacolic transpositions.
1950 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 72 118/1 This, when treated with acid, underwent the retro-pinacol rearrangement to give the α,β-dimethyl-4,4′-stilbenediamine.
1968 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 90 4730/1 The product from..a retro-ene reaction.
1972 C. H. DePuy & O. L. Chapman Molecular Reactions & Photochem. vii. 140 Retro-Diels-Alder reactions may be carried out in the vapor phase in the absence of all solvents and catalysts.
1977 J. March Adv. Org. Chem. (ed. 2) xviii. 980 Terpene chemists call the migration of a methyl group the Nametkin rearrangement. The term retropinacol rearrangement is often applied to some or all of these.
2001 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98 432/1 A nucleophilic addition of the alcohol..followed by an intramolecular retro-ene reaction.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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