retort 
fern, of retortus, pp. of retorquere, twist back : 
see retort*.} In diem, and the arts, a vessel of 
glass, earthenware, 
metal, etc., employed 
for the purpose of dis- 
tilling or effecting de- 
composition by the V Jo 
aid of heat. Glass re. 
torts are commonly used Rort (a) and Receiver (. 
for distilling liquids, and 
consist of a flask-shaped vessel, to which a long neck is 
attached. The liquid to be distilled is placed in the flask, 
and heat is applied. The products of distillation condense 
in the cold neck of the retort, and are collected in a suit- 
are sometimes provided with a 
512." 
So many Touches and 
ished. 
To write con amore, . . . with perpetual touches and 
retouches, . . . and an unwearied pursuit of unattainable 
perfection, was, I think, no part of his character. 
Johnson, Dryden. 
retoucher (re-tuch'er), n. One who retouches ; 
specifically, in photog., an operative employed 
to correct defects in both negatives and prints, 
whether such defects come from the process, or 
from spots, imperfections, etc., on the subject 
represented. 
A first-class retoucher is a good artist. 
The Engineer, LXVI. 280. 
able receiver. Retorts 
stopper so placed above the bulb as to permit the Intro- retouching (re-tuch'ing), n. [Verbal n. or re- 
duction of liquids without soiling the neck. ^ The name is OMC / () ,,_] 1. The act of adding touches, as to a 
work of art, after its approximate completion. 
His almost invariable desire of retouching ... at times 
amounted to repainting. W. Sharp, D. O. Rossetti, p. 154. 
Afterthoughts, retouchings, finish, will be of profit only 
so far as they too really serve to bring out the original, in- 
also generally given to almost any apparatus in which 
solid substances, such as coal, wood, or bones, are sub- 
mitted to destructive distillation, as retorts for producing 
coal-gas which vary much both in dimensions and in shape. 
retort 2 (re-tort' ), r. t [Xwtort 8 ,*.] In metal., 
to separate by means of a retort, as gold from 
an amalgam. Gold is always obtained in the form of an 
amalgam in stamping quartz-rock, and frequently, also, in 
washing auriferous detritus with the sluice. The amalgam 
is placed in an iron retort, and then heated, when the mer- 
cury passes olf in vapor and is condensed in a suitable re- 
ceiver the gold, always more or less alloyed with silver, 
remaining behind. See (fold. 
retorted (re-tor'ted), p. a. [Pp. of retort 1 , v.} 
If. Twisted back; bent back; turned back. 
He flies indeed, but threatens as he flies, 
With heart indignant and retorted eyes. 
Pope, Iliad, xvii. 120. 
itiative, germinating sense in them. 
Fortnightly Bee., N. S., XLIII. 742. 
Specifically 2. Inphotog., the art and process 
of finishing and correcting negatives or posi- 
tives, with the object of increasing the beauty 
of the picture or of obliterating defects of the 
sensitive film. The work is performed, according to the 
necessities of the case, by applying a pigment to the front 
or back of the negative, by shading with lead-pencils, 
by stippling with brushes, or by means of a mechanical 
sprayer, on the film, especially to stop out hard lines in 
the face, impurities on the skin, etc. In order to obtain 
dark lines or spots in the finished print, the film of the 
negative is sometimes carefully scraped away with a 
knife at the desired places. The retouching of the print 
or positive is done in water-colors or India ink. 
" (re-tuch'ing-desk), n. Same 
2. In her., fretted or interlaced: said espe- 
cially of serpents so arranged as to form a he- 
raldic knot. 
retorter (re-t6r'ter), n. One who retorts. 
retort-holder (re-t6rfh61"der), n. A device as reHm .,. 
for holding flasks or retorts in applying heat to retouchieasel ( r e-tuch'ing-e"zl), n. In 
them, or for convenience at other times, or photog., same as retouching-frame. 
retouching-frame (re-tuch'ing-fram), n. In 
photog., a desk formed of fine ground glass set 
in a frame, adjustable in angle, used for re touch- 
ing negatives. The negative is laid on the ground glass, 
a support being provided to hold it at a convenient height. 
A mirror under the desk reflects light upward through the 
ground glass and the negative, and the operator is often 
, 
further aided by a hood over the desk to shade his eyes and 
holding a funnel, etc. 
retort-house (re-tort'hous), . That part of a 
gas-works in which the retorts are situated. 
retortion (re-tor'shon), n. [< ML. retorlio(n-), 
retorsio(n-), a twisting or bending back, < L. re- 
torquere, pp. retortus, twist back: see retort 1 , 
and cf. retorsion.} 1. The act of turning or 
bending back. 
Our Sea, whose divers-brancht retortions = _ 
Divide the World in three vnequall Portions. easel and retouching-desk. Compare retouching-table. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, i. 3. retouching-table (re-tuch'ing-ta/'bl), H. In 
As for the seeming reasons which this opinion leads photog., a retouching-frame fixed on a stand 
unto, they will appear, like the staff of Egypt, either to -^ j th t it needs no independent sup- 
break under, or by an easy retortion to pierce and wound 
itself. J. Spencer, Prodigies, p. 253. (Latham.) port. 
^^J^J^S^^ J3?^ ?^ ^uS o + r 
. 
thing, as an accusation or an indignity ; a re- 
tort. 
Complaints and retortions are the common refuge of 
causes that want better arguments. 
Lively Oracles (1678), p. 24. (Latham.) 
the state of being retouched. 
The Death of Breuse sans Pitie as it now appears, at 
any rate, after its retouchment is the crudest in colour 
and most grotesque in treatment. 
W. Sharp, D. G. Rossetti, p. 155. 
retortive (re-t6r'tiv), a. [< retort 1 + -ive.} Re- retour ( re -tor') ,n. [< F. retour, OP. retor, retur, 
torting; turning backward; retrospective. retour a re turn: see return 1 , n.} 1. Areturn- 
[Rare.] 
From all his guileful plots the veil they drew, 
With eye retortive look'd creation thro. 
ing. 2. In Scots law, an extract from chancery 
of the service of an heir to his ancestor. 
retoured (re-tord'), a. [< retour + -ed 2 .] In 
Scots law, expressed or enumerated in a retour. 
retort-sealer (re-torf ska'ler), n. An instru- _ Ke toured duty, the valuation, both new and old, of 
ment for removing mechanically the incrusta- 
tion from the interior of coal-gas retorts. The 
lands expressed in the retour to the chancery, when any 
one is returned or served heir. 
v. An obsolete form of return 1 . 
retractation 
retract (re-trakf), v. [< OF. retracter, P. re- 
tracter = Sp. Pg. retractar = It. ritrattar, < L. 
retractarc, retract, freq. of retrahere, pp. retrac- 
tus, drawback, < re-, back, -I- trahere, draw: see 
tract 1 . Cf. retray, retrait, retreat 1 .'} I. trans. 
1. To draw back; draw in: sometimes opposed 
to protract or protrude : as, a cat retracts her 
claws. 
The seas into themselves retract their flows. 
Itrayton, Of his Lady's not Coming to London. 
From under the adductor a pair of delicate muscles 
runs to the basal edge of the labrum so as to retract the 
whole mouth. Danrin, C'irripedia, p. 39. 
The platform when retracted is adapted to pass over the 
floor proper, leaving, when extended, a surface over which 
things may be easily and safely moved. 
Set. Amer., N. S., LIX. 262. 
2. To withdraw; remove. 
Such admirable parts in all I spye, 
From none of them I can retract myne eye. 
Heywood, Dialogues (Works, ed. Pearson, 1874, VI. 249). 
The excess of fertility, which contributed so much to 
their miscarriages, was retracted and cut off. 
Woodward, Essay towards a Nat. Hist, of the Earth. 
3. To take back; undo; recall; recant: as, to 
retract an assertion or an accusation. 
Paris should ne'er retract what he hath done, 
Nor faint in the pursuit. Shak., T. and C., ii. 2. 141. 
If thou pleasest to show me any error of mine, ... I 
shall readily both acknowledge and retract it. 
Hfe of Thomas Ellwood(eA. liowells), p. 360. 
She began, therefore, to retract her false step as fast as 
she could. Scott, Heart of Mid-Lothian, xxvi. 
4. To contract; lessen in length; shorten. =syn. 
3. Recant, Revoke, etc. (see renounce), disown, withdraw. 
See list under abjure. 
II. intrans. 1. To draw or shrink back ; draw 
in; recede. 
The cut end of the bowel, muscular coat and mucous 
coat together, was seized with pressure forceps in the 
manner already described. It was thus held in position, 
was prevented from retracting, and all bleeding points 
were secured at once. Lancet, No. 3470, p. 454. 
2. To undo or unsay what has been done or 
said before; recall or take back a declaration 
or a concession; recant. 
She will, and she will not ; she grants, denies, 
Consents, retracts, advances, and then flies. 
Granville, To Myra. 
retract (re-trakf), n. [< LL. retractus, a draw- 
ing back, ML. retirement, retreat, < L. retra- 
here, pp. retractns, draw back: see retract, r. 
Cf. retreat 1 , retrait.} If. A falling back; a 
retreat. 
They erected forts and houses in the open plains, turn- 
ing the Natives into the woods and places of fastnesse, 
whence they made eruptions and retracts at pleasure. 
Howett, Vocall Forrest, p. 85. 
2f. A retractation ; recantation. 
Saincte Augustyne . . . wrytte also at the lengthe a 
Booke of retractes, in whych he correcteth hys owne er- 
rours. JR. Eden (First Books on America, ed. Arber, p. 10). 
3. In farriery, the prick of a horse's foot in 
nailing a shoe, requiring the nail to be with- 
drawn. 
retractability (re-trak-ta-bil'i-ti), n. [< re- 
tractable + -ity (see -bility).} The property of 
being retractable ; capacity for being retracted. 
Also retractibility. 
Tannin, which acts on the retractalility of the mucous 
membrane, . . . might be useful in dilatation of the stom- 
ach. Medical News, LIII. 159. 
scale is sometimes removed by combustion. ., r ,m* , j \ 
l<re-+toss.} To toss retrace (re-tras'), .^. J9;/^ n .|^- ) *. retractable (re-trak'ta-bl), a._ [<_ retract + 
= Pr. retrassar = Sp. retrasar = Pg. retragar ; 
as re- + trace 1 ."] 1. To trace or track back- 
retoss (re-tos'), v. t. 
back or again. 
Along the skies, 
Tost and retost, the ball incessant flies. ward ; go over again in the reverse direction : 
Pope, Odyssey, vi. 112. as> to retrace one 's steps. 
He retraced 
His pathway homeward sadly and in haste. 
retouch (re-tuch'), . *. [< OP. (and P.) re- 
toucher = Sp. Pg. retocar = It. ritoccare; as 
re- + touch.} To touch or touch up again ; 
improve by new touches ; revise ; specifically, 
in the fine arts, to improve, as a painting, by 
new touches ; go over a second time, as a work 
of art, in order to restore or strengthen a faded 
part, make additions, or remove blemishes, for 
its general improvement. 
He sighs, departs, and leaves th' accomplish'd plan, 
That he has touch'd, retouch'd, many a long day 
Labor'd, and many a night pursu'd in dreams. 
Cowper, Task, iii. 786. 
That piece 
By Pietro of Cortona probably 
His scholar Giro Ferri may have retouched. 
Browning, Ring and Book, I. 216. 
These [frescos] are in very_bad preservation^ _much 
faded and retouched. 
The Century, XXXVII. 543. 
retouch (re-tuch'), n. [< P. retouche = Sp. Pg. 
retoque = It. ritocco; from the verb : see retouch, 
r.} A repeated touch ; an additional touch giv- 
en in revision; specifically, in the fine arts, ad- 
ditional work done on that which might previ- retraceable (re-tra'sa-bl), a. [< 
ously have been regarded as finished. -able.} Capable of being retraced. 
Longfellow, Golden Legend, ii. 
2. To trace back to an original source ; trace 
out by investigation or consideration. 
Then, if the line of Tnrnus you retrace, 
He springs from Inachus of Argive race. 
Dryden, ^Eneid, vii. 520. 
The orthography of others eminent for their learning _-+__<.+,_-. /_ 
was as remarkable, and sometimes more eruditely whim- retractation (,ie- 
sical, either in the attempt to retrace the etymology, or ' 
to modify exotic words to a native origin. 
I. D'lsraeli, Amen, of Lit,, II. 22. 
3. To trace again; renew the lines of: as, to 
retrace the defaced outline of a drawing. 
This letter, traced in pencil-characters, 
Guido as easily got retraced in ink 
By his wife's pen, guided from end to end. 
Browning, Ring and Book, I. 122. 
4. To rehearse ; repeat. 
He regales his list'ning wife 
With all th' adventures of his early life, . . . 
Retracing thus his frolics. 
Cou'pcr, Tirocinium, 1. 332. 
retrace + 
Imp. Diet. 
-able. Cf. retr'actible.'l' Capable "of being re- 
tracted ; retractile. Also retraclible. 
Its [a cuttlefish's] arms instead of suckers were furnished 
with a double row of very sharp talons, . . . retractable 
into a sheath of skin, from which they might be thrust at 
pleasure. Cook, First Voyage, i. 7. 
retractatet (re-trak'tat), v. t. [< L. retractare, 
pp. retractatus, draw back: see retract.} To 
retract; recant. 
St. Augustine was not ashamed to retractate, we might 
say revoke, many things that had passed him. 
The Translators of the Bible, To the Reader. 
), n. [< OF. re- 
tractation, P. retractation = Pr. retracta1io = Sp. 
retractacion = Pg. retracta$ So = It. ritrattuzioiie, 
< L. retractatio(n-), a retouching, reconsidera- 
tion, hesitation, refusal, < retractare, touch 
again, reconsider, draw back, retract: see re- 
tract.} The act of retracting or withdrawing; 
especially, the recall or withdrawal of an asser- 
tion, a claim, or a declared belief; a recanta- 
tion. 
The Dutch governour writes to our governour, . . . pro- 
fessing all good neighborhood to all the rest of the colo- 
nies with some kind of retractation of his former claim to 
New Haven. Winthrop, Hist, New England, II. 384. 
Praxeas, at one time, signed a retractation of his heresy, 
which retractation was in the hands of the Catholics. 
Pusey, Eirenicon, p. 76. 
