retort1
verb rɪˈtɔːtrəˈtɔrt
1reporting verb Say something in answer to a remark, typically in a sharp, angry, or witty manner.
with direct speech ‘No need to be rude,’ retorted Isabelwith clause he retorted that this was nonsense- Without letting him answer or retort she rode back towards the lake.
- Cora bit her lip as she forced herself to not retort to his last remark.
- ‘No, Mr. Duvall, you don't understand,’ Christian retorted, getting angrier by the minute.
- Quin looked as though he might retort with some snide remark he was sure to regret, so Drake interrupted.
- Delilah was about to retort with some witty comeback, but stopped when she saw the soirée waiting outside on the street to greet them.
- ‘We'll see if you have remembered anything about manners,’ she retorted.
- If you're not going to look after Fay, someone has to,’ I retorted, aware that my words sounded sharp and not caring.
- It takes every ounce of self-control that I have to not retort back with a scathing remark about what a fool she is.
- Jake was about to retort with a very rude comment when pain flared up through his body, causing him to cry out.
- Jamie was about to retort the remark made by someone behind Maddie but found her words stuck in her throat as that person slowly came into view.
- ‘You could have just told me,’ she retorted, her voice almost angry.
- Tairo fought back the need to retort, feeling helpless and angry at the same time.
- I opened my mouth to retort but couldn't quite come up with anything witty or smart or right.
- Patient and genial, Ms. Sandhya took the children into confidence from the very start, retorting with jokes, poetry and the occasional repartee to drive home a point.
- I'm warning you,’ her brother retorted harshly, growing progressively angrier.
- I debated whether to retort with a witty comeback or to not pay attention to him.
- Usually a sympathetic listener to her tales of woe, this time I was stung into retorting, ‘How can you say that when every single one of us absolutely adores you?’
- Trent breathed in deeply, fighting the urge to retort something regrettable.
- When he had pulled out of a film, it was said that he was a victim of stress, but he refuted those claims, retorting that he simply hadn't wanted to do a movie at that point.
- Before Roman could open his mouth to retort, Lenore answered.
answer, reply, respond, say in response, acknowledge, return, counter, rejoin, riposte, retaliate, hurl back, fling back, snap backround on someone, come back2archaic with object Repay (an insult or injury)
it was now his time to retort the humiliation- This enraged his domestics, who retorted the insult by blows.
- Pipes, though a little disconcerted, far from being disabled by the blow, in a trice retorted the compliment with his truncheon.
- 2.1 Turn (an insult or accusation) back on the person who has issued it.he was resolute to retort the charge of treason on his foes
- It is human nature that if you are insulted by someone, you will retort the insult.
- He was relentless on verbal observations about her body, and she had begun to pick up the habit of grinding her teeth in order to save her from retorting an obscenity back at him.
- When confronted about Fischer's comments in interviews, Amis retorted with some insults of his own.
- 2.2 Use (an opponent's argument) against them.the answer they make to us may very easily be retorted
- Japanese historian Kajimura Hideki, who passed away in 1989, retorted the argument that Dokdo belongs to Japan by suggesting diverse historical articles in his paper released on the Review of Korean Studies.
noun rɪˈtɔːtrəˈtɔrt
A sharp, angry, or witty reply.
she opened her mouth to make a suitably cutting retort- I opened my mouth to make an angry retort, but Mom said, quietly, ‘Liss, we need to talk.’
- Christopher clenched his jaw, fighting back the sharp retort and the wave of agony-driven rage as the carriage lurched to a stop outside the Donovan home.
- He drew away slowly, with no angry retort to throw back at her.
- Everyone discreetly turned his or her head towards Jordan, ready for the retort, and the angry outburst, but he merely shrugged.
- Having a retort ready for the reply I had expected - time for us to get some sleep - I was caught off guard and stared at him.
- Lydia's lips tightened, and she bit back a sharp retort.
- She was brilliant, there was no doubt about that, but when it came to escaping from awkward situations, coming up with valid excuses or witty retorts, she was useless.
- Those who don't smile at Arnold's witty retorts have hearts of true solid granite.
- It was an angry retort, and I tried to control the edge in my voice.
- Cordelia rolled her eyes, but was too tired to give a scathing retort.
- Well, for once in my life, I didn't have a clever retort.
- Andra had to literally bite her tongue to hold back the sharp retort quickly forming there.
- Now was not the time to shoot back angry retorts.
- Evelyn glared daggers at me, causing whatever sharp retort to vanish on the tip of my tongue.
- Morgan opened her mouth for a cutting retort, then abruptly closed it again.
- Just as I expected, Brand was ready with his witty retorts as I swung open the door.
- I bit my tongue to stop the sarcastic retort from leaving my mouth.
- Keziah tried to think up a suitably sarcastic retort quickly, but her mind was blank.
- Sydney's eyes narrowed in response and she willed her sharp tongue to spit back a scathing retort.
- Graham's retorts may have been biting and sharp, but Shamus had no trouble thinking up a comeback with his cool, unconcerned manner.
answer, reply, response, acknowledgement, return, counter, rejoinder, riposte, sally, retaliationinformal comeback
Origin
Late 15th century (in the sense 'hurl back an accusation or insult'): from Latin retort- 'twisted back, cast back', from the verb retorquere, from re- 'in return' + torquere 'to twist'.
torch from Middle English:
A torch in the original sense of ‘something soaked in an inflammable substance used to give light’ was often made of twisted hemp or other fibres. This is still the American meaning, and reflects the word's Latin origin, torquere ‘to twist’. Only in British English can torch describe a battery-powered electric lamp, which Americans call a flashlight. A torch song is a sad or sentimental song of unrequited love, whose name, used since the 1920s, comes from the phrase carry a torch for, ‘to love someone who does not love you in return’. The image in pass on the torch, ‘to pass on a tradition, especially one of learning or enlightenment’, is that of the runners in a relay race passing on the torch to each other, as was the custom in the ancient Greek Olympic Games. The Latin source of torch, torquere, is found in a large number of other English words. Most obviously it is the source of the engineer's torque (late 19th century), and the twisted Celtic neck-ring the torc (mid 19th century). Less obviously it is in contort (Late Middle English) ‘twist together’; distort (Late Middle English) ‘twist out of shape’; extort (early 16th century) ‘twist out of’; and retort (Late Middle English) ‘to twist back’ (the chemical apparatus gets its name from its twisted shape). Tortura ‘twisting, torment’ the Latin noun formed from the verb gives us torture and tortuous (both LME), and torment (Middle English). Thwart (Middle English) is an Old Norse word that goes back to the same Indo-European root.
retort2
noun rɪˈtɔːtrəˈtɔrt
1A container or furnace for carrying out a chemical process on a large or industrial scale.
gas was made by baking coal in airtight retorts- In the factory there were a number of iron retorts, and with them several tons of pitch were also distilled.
- Ore has been processed in large retorts in the past, but most recent operations use several types of furnaces.
- The smelters will require 25000 tons of charcoal per annum which will be produced in retorts supplied by the Belgium company, Lambiotte.
- 1.1 A glass container with a long neck, used in distilling liquids and other chemical operations.a laboratory full of bubbling retorts and crackling electrical equipment
- Retorts are the most employed of any kind of distilling vessels in the practice of modern chemistry, having in England almost superseded the use of all others.
- The first experiments with the caustic potash purification had been conducted in glass retorts, but they were less successful when scaled up.
verb rɪˈtɔːtrəˈtɔrt
[with object]Heat in a retort in order to separate or purify.
the raw shale is retorted at four crude oil works- The furnace which was used to retort the ore was previously taken off location so little or no above ground structures were left.
- The in situ process may not require mine workings or large surface plant facilities to crush and retort the shale, and it avoids the necessity of removing overburden and waste shale to dumps with its consequent environmental problems.
Origin
Early 17th century: from French retorte, from medieval Latin retorta, feminine past participle of retorquere 'twist back' (with reference to the long recurved neck of the laboratory container).
retort1
verbrəˈtôrtrəˈtɔrt
1reporting verb Say something in answer to a remark or accusation, typically in a sharp, angry, or wittily incisive manner.
with direct speech “No need to be rude,” retorted Isabelwith clause he retorted that this was nonsenseno object I resisted the urge to retort- Usually a sympathetic listener to her tales of woe, this time I was stung into retorting, ‘How can you say that when every single one of us absolutely adores you?’
- I opened my mouth to retort but couldn't quite come up with anything witty or smart or right.
- When he had pulled out of a film, it was said that he was a victim of stress, but he refuted those claims, retorting that he simply hadn't wanted to do a movie at that point.
- ‘You could have just told me,’ she retorted, her voice almost angry.
- I debated whether to retort with a witty comeback or to not pay attention to him.
- Tairo fought back the need to retort, feeling helpless and angry at the same time.
- Before Roman could open his mouth to retort, Lenore answered.
- Quin looked as though he might retort with some snide remark he was sure to regret, so Drake interrupted.
- Patient and genial, Ms. Sandhya took the children into confidence from the very start, retorting with jokes, poetry and the occasional repartee to drive home a point.
- I'm warning you,’ her brother retorted harshly, growing progressively angrier.
- Jamie was about to retort the remark made by someone behind Maddie but found her words stuck in her throat as that person slowly came into view.
- ‘We'll see if you have remembered anything about manners,’ she retorted.
- ‘No, Mr. Duvall, you don't understand,’ Christian retorted, getting angrier by the minute.
- Without letting him answer or retort she rode back towards the lake.
- It takes every ounce of self-control that I have to not retort back with a scathing remark about what a fool she is.
- Cora bit her lip as she forced herself to not retort to his last remark.
- If you're not going to look after Fay, someone has to,’ I retorted, aware that my words sounded sharp and not caring.
- Trent breathed in deeply, fighting the urge to retort something regrettable.
- Delilah was about to retort with some witty comeback, but stopped when she saw the soirée waiting outside on the street to greet them.
- Jake was about to retort with a very rude comment when pain flared up through his body, causing him to cry out.
answer, reply, respond, say in response, acknowledge, return, counter, rejoin, riposte, retaliate, hurl back, fling back, snap back2archaic with object Repay (an insult or injury)
it was now his time to retort the humiliation- Pipes, though a little disconcerted, far from being disabled by the blow, in a trice retorted the compliment with his truncheon.
- This enraged his domestics, who retorted the insult by blows.
- 2.1 Turn (an insult or accusation) back on the person who has issued it.he was resolute to retort the charge of treason on his foes
- It is human nature that if you are insulted by someone, you will retort the insult.
- When confronted about Fischer's comments in interviews, Amis retorted with some insults of his own.
- He was relentless on verbal observations about her body, and she had begun to pick up the habit of grinding her teeth in order to save her from retorting an obscenity back at him.
- 2.2 Use (an opponent's argument) against them.the answer they make to us may very easily be retorted
- Japanese historian Kajimura Hideki, who passed away in 1989, retorted the argument that Dokdo belongs to Japan by suggesting diverse historical articles in his paper released on the Review of Korean Studies.
nounrəˈtôrtrəˈtɔrt
A sharp, angry, or wittily incisive reply to a remark.
she opened her mouth to make a suitably cutting retort- Evelyn glared daggers at me, causing whatever sharp retort to vanish on the tip of my tongue.
- It was an angry retort, and I tried to control the edge in my voice.
- Well, for once in my life, I didn't have a clever retort.
- Graham's retorts may have been biting and sharp, but Shamus had no trouble thinking up a comeback with his cool, unconcerned manner.
- She was brilliant, there was no doubt about that, but when it came to escaping from awkward situations, coming up with valid excuses or witty retorts, she was useless.
- Andra had to literally bite her tongue to hold back the sharp retort quickly forming there.
- Cordelia rolled her eyes, but was too tired to give a scathing retort.
- Sydney's eyes narrowed in response and she willed her sharp tongue to spit back a scathing retort.
- Morgan opened her mouth for a cutting retort, then abruptly closed it again.
- Now was not the time to shoot back angry retorts.
- Those who don't smile at Arnold's witty retorts have hearts of true solid granite.
- I opened my mouth to make an angry retort, but Mom said, quietly, ‘Liss, we need to talk.’
- Everyone discreetly turned his or her head towards Jordan, ready for the retort, and the angry outburst, but he merely shrugged.
- I bit my tongue to stop the sarcastic retort from leaving my mouth.
- Keziah tried to think up a suitably sarcastic retort quickly, but her mind was blank.
- Christopher clenched his jaw, fighting back the sharp retort and the wave of agony-driven rage as the carriage lurched to a stop outside the Donovan home.
- Just as I expected, Brand was ready with his witty retorts as I swung open the door.
- He drew away slowly, with no angry retort to throw back at her.
- Lydia's lips tightened, and she bit back a sharp retort.
- Having a retort ready for the reply I had expected - time for us to get some sleep - I was caught off guard and stared at him.
answer, reply, response, acknowledgement, return, counter, rejoinder, riposte, sally, retaliation
Origin
Late 15th century (in the sense ‘hurl back an accusation or insult’): from Latin retort- ‘twisted back, cast back’, from the verb retorquere, from re- ‘in return’ + torquere ‘to twist’.
retort2
nounrəˈtɔrtrəˈtôrt
1A container or furnace for carrying out a chemical process on a large or industrial scale.
gas was made by baking coal in airtight retorts- The smelters will require 25000 tons of charcoal per annum which will be produced in retorts supplied by the Belgium company, Lambiotte.
- In the factory there were a number of iron retorts, and with them several tons of pitch were also distilled.
- Ore has been processed in large retorts in the past, but most recent operations use several types of furnaces.
- 1.1 A glass container with a long neck, used in distilling liquids and other chemical operations.a laboratory full of bubbling retorts and crackling electrical equipment
- Retorts are the most employed of any kind of distilling vessels in the practice of modern chemistry, having in England almost superseded the use of all others.
- The first experiments with the caustic potash purification had been conducted in glass retorts, but they were less successful when scaled up.
verbrəˈtɔrtrəˈtôrt
[with object]Heat in a retort in order to separate or purify.
the raw shale is retorted at four crude oil works- The in situ process may not require mine workings or large surface plant facilities to crush and retort the shale, and it avoids the necessity of removing overburden and waste shale to dumps with its consequent environmental problems.
- The furnace which was used to retort the ore was previously taken off location so little or no above ground structures were left.
Origin
Early 16th century: from French retorte, from medieval Latin retorta, feminine past participle of retorquere ‘twist back’ (with reference to the long recurved neck of the laboratory container).