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re·tor·sion or re·tor·tion

(rĭ-tôrshən)

An act perpetrated by one nation upon another in retaliation or reprisal for a similar act perpetrated by the other nation.

[Probably French rétorsion, from Latin retortus (influenced by Late Latin torsiō, a twisting, wringing), past participle of retorquēre, to cast back; see RETORT¹.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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