Retracting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Moving something back or pulling it inward ; taking back a previous statement or claim made
2. Pulling or drawing something inward toward its origin or center ; formally rejecting or renouncing a formerly stated idea or assertion
3. Gradually pulling an object or part back into its original place ; expressing disapproval of or cancelling a prior declaration

Etymology: Latin "retrahere" meant "to draw back," and it gave English two words that split apart over time. "Retreat" came in through Old French and kept the military sense of pulling back from the enemy. "Retract" arrived in Late Middle English, borrowed directly from the Latin participle "retractus," and kept the physical sense of drawing something inward, as a cat does with its claws or a snail with its horns. The sense of taking back a statement developed from the Latin verb "retractare," which meant "to handle again" and, by extension, "to reconsider" or "to revoke." Medieval French picked up that meaning in "rétracter," and English adopted it, so a person who retracts a claim is, in the original sense, drawing it back to be looked at once more. The "-ing" ending simply marks the verb as an ongoing action, so "retracting" can describe a claw being drawn in or a statement being withdrawn.

Synonyms: withdrawing, recalling, receding, revoking, retractable

Antonyms: extending, offering