Retraction

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈtɹækʃən/

Definitions

1. The act of withdrawing a statement, claim, or accusation that was previously made public
2. The process of taking back a previously stated opinion or declaration, often in response to new information or changes in circumstances
3. The action of canceling or reversing a previously expressed assertion, claim, or statement to clarify the truth

Etymology: "Retraction" is built from "retract" plus the suffix "-ion," which turns a verb into a noun for an action. The verb "retract" comes from Latin "retractare," meaning "to draw back" or "to handle again," built from "re-" (back) and "tractare" (to drag or handle), itself a frequentative of "trahere," "to draw." That physical sense of pulling something back is the thread running through the word. English has a second, more literal route as well: "retraction" is formed from the same Latin base as "traction," the act of drawing or pulling. So the word's core idea is drawing back, whether a limb, a claim, or a statement. In its current sense, "retraction" means the public withdrawal of something previously said or printed, which is the metaphorical extension of that original drawing back.

Synonyms: withdrawal, recantation, disavowal

Antonyms: affirmation, assertion