retort

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator

   A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback.

   • He countered her insult with a clever retort.
2. 2

   To say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation.

   • “It is a pity,” he retorted with aggravating meekness, “that they do not use a little common sense. The case resembles that of Columbus' egg, and is every bit as simple.[…]”
3. 3

   To make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator

   To make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator; to return, as an argument, accusation, censure, or incivility.

   • to retort the charge of vanity
   • And with retorted scorn his back he turned.
4. ›+ 7 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To bend or curve back.

      • a retorted line
      • With retorted head, pruned themselves as they floated.
   2. 5

      To throw back

      To throw back; to reverberate; to reflect.

      • As when his virtues, shining upon others, / Heat them and they retort that heat again / To the first giver.
      • Glasses were filled, arresting the trooper on a theme of passion; the pariahdom of the country cop, whose self-respect is to retort the law's blackmail for blackmail levied on his self-respect.
   3. 6

      A flask with a rounded base and a long neck that is bent down and tapered, used to heat a…

      A flask with a rounded base and a long neck that is bent down and tapered, used to heat a liquid for distillation.

      • A large curved retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a two-litre measure.
   4. 7

      An airtight vessel in which material is subjected to high temperatures in the chemical…

      An airtight vessel in which material is subjected to high temperatures in the chemical industry or as part of an industrial manufacturing process, especially during the smelting and forging of metal.

   5. 8

      A pressure cooker.

      • The retort is above boiling water. Beneath is a furnace. To the right a man is removing the chips from which the camphor has been extracted.
   6. 9

      A crematory furnace.

   7. 10

      To heat in a retort.

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