ret

Meaning

Verb

To prepare (flax, hemp etc.) for further processing by soaking, which facilitates separation of fibers from the woody parts of the stem.

Adj

retired

Noun

Short for reiteration.

Synonyms

soak

macerate

steep

loosen

relax

retired

returned

saturate

send back

sop

take back

unbend

uncoil

unfasten

unfix

dowse

wet

drench

infuse

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɹɛt/

Etymology

From Middle English retten, reten; perhaps from Middle Dutch rēten, reeten (compare Middle Low German rōten; Middle High German rōzen), or from Old Norse reyta (compare Norwegian røyta, Swedish röta); all from Proto-Germanic *rautijaną (“to make mellow or soft”), from Proto-Indo-European *rewd- (“to tear; rend; rip”). Related to rot.