the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > retting (6)
The maceration of flax, hemp, etc. (see ret, v.2 1).
The process of steeping (flax) in water.
The maceration of flax, hemp, etc. (= retting, n.); an instance of this.