retrograde

See also: rétrograde, rétrogradé, and retrogradé

English

WOTD – 9 October 2021

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛtɹə(ʊ)ɡɹeɪd/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛtɹəˌɡɹeɪd/
Hyphenation: re‧tro‧grade

Etymology 1

The adjective is derived from Middle English retrograd, retrograde (“of a planet: appearing to move in a direction opposite to the order of the zodiac signs, retrograde; unfortunate”),[1] from Middle French retrograde and Old French retrograde (“of a celestial object: appearing to move backwards; moving backwards; reverse; palindromic; opposed to change”) (modern French rétrograde), and from their etymon Latin retrōgradus (“of a celestial object: appearing to move backwards”) (compare Late Latin retrōgradus (“reverse; palindromic”)), from retrō (“back, backwards; behind; before, formerly”) + gradus (“pace, step”).[2] Retrō is derived from re- (prefix meaning ‘back, backwards’) + *-trō (probably from intrō (“to enter, go into”)); gradus is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ- (“to go; to walk”).

The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.

Adjective

retrograde (comparative more retrograde, superlative most retrograde)

Directed or moving backwards in relation to the normal or previous direction of travel; retreating.
Reverting to an inferior or less developed state; declining, regressing.
1. (zoology) Of an animal: appearing to regress to a less developed form during its lifetime.
Of the order of something: inverse, reverse.
1. (music) Having a passage of music played backwards.
Of ideas or a person: opposing social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo; conservative.
Synonyms: reactionary, traditionalist
Antonyms: liberal, progressist, reformist
retrograde ideas, morals, etc.
- 1976, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift, New York: Avon, →ISBN, page 74:
  Such retrograde people still exist, resisting modernity, dragging their feet.
(archaic)
1. Involving a return to or a retracing of a previous course of travel.
2. Counterproductive to a desired outcome; contradictory, contrary.
  - c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii]:
    In going back to school in Wittenberg, / It is most retrograde to our desire: / And we beseech you, bend you to remain
(astronomy)
1. Of a celestial body orbiting another: in the opposite direction to the orbited body's spin.
  Antonyms: direct, prograde
2. (also astrology) Of a celestial body: seeming to move across the sky in the opposite direction from its ordinary movement.
(geology) Of a metamorphic change: resulting from a decrease in pressure or temperature.
Antonym: prograde
(medicine) Of amnesia: relating to the period leading up to the episode which caused it.
(poetry, archaic) Of verse: reading the same forwards or backwards; palindromic.

Derived terms

retrograde amnesia
retrograde ejaculation
retrograde inversion
retrogradely
retrograde motion
retrogradeness

Related terms

posigrade
retrogradation

Antonyms

anterograde
prograde

Translations

or moving backwards in relation to the normal or previous direction of travel

Catalan: retrògrad
Czech: upadající, zpátečnický
Finnish: retrogradinen (fi)
French: rétrograde (fr) m or f
German: retrograd (de)
Russian: ретрогра́дный (ru) (retrográdnyj)
Swedish: bakåtsträvande

reverting to an inferior or less developed state — See also translations at declining,‎ regressing

Catalan: retrògrad

of an animal: appearing to regress to a less developed form during its lifetime

inverse, reverse — see inverse,‎ reverse

having a passage of music played backwards

Catalan: retrògrad

of ideas or a person: opposing social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo — see conservative

involving a return to or a retracing of a previous course of travel

counterproductive to a desired outcome

French: rétrograde (fr) m or f

of a celestial body orbiting another: in the opposite direction to the orbited body’s spin

Afrikaans: retrograde
Chinese:
Mandarin: 逆行 (zh)
Czech: retrográdní, zpětný (cs)
Finnish: retrogradinen (fi)
French: rétrograde (fr) m or f
Greek:
Ancient: ἀφαιρετικός (aphairetikós)
Persian: بازگشتی‎ (fa) (bāzgaštī)

of a celestial body: seeming to move across the sky in the opposite direction from its ordinary movement

Bulgarian: ретрограден (bg) (retrograden)

of a metamorphic change: resulting from a decrease in pressure or temperature

Czech: retrográdní

of amnesia: relating to the period leading up to the episode which caused it

of verse: reading the same forwards or backwards — see palindromic

Adverb

retrograde (comparative more retrograde, superlative most retrograde)

In a reverse direction; backwards.
Synonym: retrogradely

Translations

in a reverse direction — see backwards

Noun

retrograde (plural retrogrades)

A movement backwards or opposite to the intended or normal motion.
1. (astrology) The apparent movement of a planet across the sky in the opposite direction from its ordinary movement.
One who opposes social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo; a conservative.
Synonyms: (both chiefly US, informal) mossback, mossyback, reactionary, traditionalist
(archaic) One who reneges on an agreement, or switches loyalties; a rebel, a renegade.
(music) The reversal of a melody so that what is played first in the original melody is played last, and what is played last in the original melody is played first.

Translations

movement backwards or opposite to the intended or normal motion

apparent movement of a planet across the sky in the opposite direction from its ordinary movement

one who opposes social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo — See also translations at conservative

Bulgarian: реакционер (bg) m (reakcioner)
French: rétrograde (fr) m or f
Russian: ретрогра́д (ru) m (retrográd), ретрогра́дка (ru) f (retrográdka)

one who reneges on an agreement, or switches loyalties — see rebel,‎ renegade

reversal of a melody

Chinese:
Mandarin: 逆行 (zh) (nìxíng)

Etymology 2

From Middle French retrograder (“to (cause to) go back, return; to (cause to) move backwards; of a celestial object: to show retrograde motion; to date to an earlier period”) (modern French rétrograder), and from its etymon Latin retrōgradī, the present active infinitive of retrōgradior (“to go or step back or backwards; of a celestial object: to show retrograde motion”) (compare Late Latin retrogradare, retrogradari, retrogredere), from retrō (“back, backwards; behind; before, formerly”) + gradior (“to step, walk; to advance, go”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ- (“to go; to walk”)).[3]

Verb

retrograde (third-person singular simple present retrogrades, present participle retrograding, simple past and past participle retrograded)

(transitive)
1. (geography) To cause (a land feature such as a coastline or waterfall) to undergo retrogradation, that is, to travel in the direction of the land or upstream due to erosion.
2. (geology) To change (minerals, rocks, etc.) metamorphically through a decrease in pressure or temperature.
3. (obsolete) To cause (someone or something) to revert to an inferior or less developed state.
(intransitive)
1. To revert to an inferior or less developed state; to decline, to regress.
  - 1862 July – 1863 August, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], Romola. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], published 1863, OCLC 1084920803, book III, page 260:
    […] Monna Brigida, who had retrograded to false hair in Romola's absence, but now drew it off again and declared she would not mind being gray, if her dear child would stay with her.
2. (astrology, astronomy) Of a celestial body, especially a planet: to show retrogradation; to seem to move across the sky in the opposite direction from its ordinary movement.
3. (geography) Of a land feature: to travel in the direction of the land or upstream due to erosion.
4. (military) To retreat or withdraw from a position.
5. (obsolete)
  1. To move backwards; to recede.
    - 1845, Joseph C. Neal, “The Moral of Goslyne Greene, who was Born to a Fortune”, in The Gift: A Christmas, New Year, and Birthday Present, Philadelphia, Pa.: Carey and Hart, OCLC 2914286, page 68:
      A dabble in the stocks does not always turn out profitably; cotton is sometimes heavy on our hands, and real estate will sulkily retrograde, when, by the calculation, it ought to have advanced.
  2. Of the telling of an incident, etc.: to move to an earlier time.

Derived terms

retrograded (adjective)

Related terms

retrogress
retrogression
retrogressive

Translations

to cause (a land feature) to undergo retrogradation

to change (minerals, etc.) metamorphically through a decrease in pressure or temperature

to revert to an inferior or less developed state — see decline,‎ regress

of a celestial body: to show retrogradation

Italian: retrogradare

of a land feature: to travel in the direction of the land or upstream due to erosion

(military) to retreat or withdraw from a position

Finnish: vetäytyä (fi)
Persian: بازگشتن‎ (fa) (bāzgaštan)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} retrogradar

References

“retrōgrād(e, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
“retrograde, adj., n., and adv.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2021; “retrograde, adj. and n..”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Compare “retrograde, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2020; “retrograde, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

retrogarde

German

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Adjective

retrograde

inflection of retrograd:
1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
2. strong nominative/accusative plural
3. weak nominative all-gender singular
4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Adjective

retrograde

feminine plural of retrogrado

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /retɾoˈɡɾade/ [re.t̪ɾoˈɣ̞ɾa.ð̞e]
Rhymes: -ade
Syllabification: re‧tro‧gra‧de

Verb

retrograde

inflection of retrogradar:
1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
2. third-person singular imperative

[1] “retrōgrād(e, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

[2] “retrograde, adj., n., and adv.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2021; “retrograde, adj. and n..”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

[3] Compare “retrograde, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2020; “retrograde, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

retrograde

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Adjective

Derived terms

Related terms

Antonyms

Translations

Adverb

Translations

Noun

Translations

Etymology 2

Verb

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

Further reading

Anagrams

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

Italian

Adjective

Spanish

Pronunciation

Verb