Retort

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈtɔɹt/

Definitions

1. A sharp, witty, or angry reply given in response to a remark or accusation
2. A clever and often sarcastic answer formulated as a response to an insult or comment
3. A brief and pointed answer made swiftly in reply to a statement ; a container designed to withstand heat or pressure for chemical operations

Etymology: The original sense of "retort" had nothing to do with conversation. In Latin, "retortus" was the past participle of "retorquēre," meaning to twist back or bend backward, and the English word first referred to something physical: a curved glass vessel with a long, bent neck, used by alchemists and chemists for distilling liquids. The same shape of flask gave the word its later technical sense, and the name stayed with the apparatus even as its metaphorical uses grew. The move from vessel to verbal jab came through the idea of something being thrown back. A retort is a reply that twists a remark back on the speaker, returning its force, much as the bent neck of the flask turns vapour back on itself. That figurative sense is what the verb and noun carry in modern English.

Synonyms: reply, response, counter, rejoinder, comeback

Antonyms: question, request, inquiry, query, plea