Definitions for retort
rɪˈtɔrtre·tort

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.8 / 6 votes

1. rejoinder, retort, return, riposte, replication, comeback, counternoun

   a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)

   "it brought a sharp rejoinder from the teacher"

2. retortverb

   a vessel where substances are distilled or decomposed by heat

3. retort, come back, repay, return, riposte, rejoinverb

   answer back

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

1. retortnoun

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

2. retortnoun

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

3. retortnoun

   A container in which material is subjected to high temperatures as part of an industrial manufacturing process, especially during the smelting and forging of metal.

4. retortverb

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

5. retortverb

   To make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator.

6. retortverb

   To heat in a retort.

7. Etymology: Latin retorquere 'to be forced to twist back'; re- + -tort

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Retortnoun

   Etymology: retorte, Fr. retortum, Lat.

   1. A censure or incivility returned.

   I said his beard was not cut well, he was in the mind it was: this is called the retort courteous. William Shakespeare.

   2. A chymical glass vessel with a bent neck to which the receiver is fitted.

   Recent urine distilled yields a limpid water; and what remains at the bottom of the retort, is not acid nor alkaline. Arb.

2. To RETORTverb

   Etymology: retortus, Lat.

   1. To throw back.

   His virtues, shining upon others,
   Heat them, and they retort that heat again
   To the first giver. William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida.

   He pass’d through hostile scorn;
   And with retorted scorn his back he turn’d. John Milton.

   2. To return any argument, censure, or incivility.

   His proof will easily be retorted, and the contrary proved, by interrogating; shall the adulterer inherit the kingdom of God? if he shall, what need I, that am now exhorted to reform my life, reform it? if he shall not, then certainly I, that am such, am none of the elect; for all, that are elect, shall certainly inherit the kingdom of God. Henry Hammond.

   What if toy son
   Prove disobedient, and reprov’d, retort,
   Wherefore did’st thou beget me? John Milton.

   The respondent may shew, how the opponent’s argument may be retorted against himself. Isaac Watts.

   3. To curve back.

   It would be tried how the voice will be carried in an horn, which is a line arched; or in a trumpet, which is a line retorted; or in some pipe that were sinuous. Francis Bacon.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Retort

   In a chemistry laboratory, a retort is a device used for distillation or dry distillation of substances. It consists of a spherical vessel with a long downward-pointing neck. The liquid to be distilled is placed in the vessel and heated. The neck acts as a condenser, allowing the vapors to condense and flow along the neck to a collection vessel placed underneath.In the chemical industry, a retort is an airtight vessel in which substances are heated for a chemical reaction producing gaseous products to be collected in a collection vessel or for further processing. Such industrial-scale retorts are used in shale oil extraction, the production of charcoal and in the recovery of mercury in gold mining processes and hazardous waste. A process of heating oil shale to produce shale oil, oil shale gas, and spent shale is commonly called retorting. Airtight vessels to apply pressure as well as heat are called autoclaves. In the food industry, pressure cookers are often referred to as retorts, meaning "canning retorts", for sterilization under high temperature (116–130 °C).

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. retort

   A retort is a quick, sharp, or witty reply to some remark, criticism, or accusation. In scientific context, a retort is a closed glassware apparatus used for distillation or dry distillation heat treatment in a laboratory.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Retortnoun

   to bend or curve back; as, a retorted line

2. Retortnoun

   to throw back; to reverberate; to reflect

3. Retortnoun

   to return, as an argument, accusation, censure, or incivility; as, to retort the charge of vanity

4. Retortverb

   to return an argument or a charge; to make a severe reply

5. Retortverb

   the return of, or reply to, an argument, charge, censure, incivility, taunt, or witticism; a quick and witty or severe response

6. Retortverb

   a vessel in which substances are subjected to distillation or decomposition by heat. It is made of different forms and materials for different uses, as a bulb of glass with a curved beak to enter a receiver for general chemical operations, or a cylinder or semicylinder of cast iron for the manufacture of gas in gas works

7. Etymology: [L. retortus, p. p. of retorquere; pref. re- re- + torquere to turn twist. See Torsion, and cf. Retort, n., 2.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Retort

   In a chemistry laboratory, a retort is a glassware device used for distillation or dry distillation of substances. It consists of a spherical vessel with a long downward-pointing neck. The liquid to be distilled is placed in the vessel and heated. The neck acts as a condenser, allowing the vapors to condense and flow along the neck to a collection vessel placed underneath. In the chemical industry, a retort is an airtight vessel in which substances are heated for a chemical reaction producing gaseous products to be collected in a collection vessel or for further processing. Such industrial-scale retorts are used in shale oil extraction and the production of charcoal. A process of heating oil shale to produce shale oil, shale gas, and spent shale is commonly called retorting. In the food industry, pressure cookers are often referred to as retorts, meaning "canning retorts".

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

1. [["1607","1"],["1631","1"],["1638","1"],["1644","3"],["1645","1"],["1646","1"],["1653","4"],["1656","1"],["1659","1"],["1661","1"],["1667","1"],["1668","1"],["1672","8"],["1673","2"],["1675","1"],["1676","3"],["1677","5"],["1678","1"],["1679","1"],["1680","6"],["1681","3"],["1682","1"],["1683","1"],["1684","2"],["1685","3"],["1688","2"],["1689","1"],["1693","2"],["1696","1"],["1698","3"],["1700","3"],["1701","1"],["1702","5"],["1703","6"],["1704","6"],["1705","4"],["1706","7"],["1707","3"],["1708","7"],["1709","1"],["1710","6"],["1711","6"],["1712","1"],["1713","10"],["1714","5"],["1715","13"],["1717","4"],["1718","4"],["1719","3"],["1720","6"],["1721","11"],["1722","13"],["1723","7"],["1724","8"],["1725","181"],["1726","8"],["1727","8"],["1728","5"],["1729","12"],["1730","13"],["1731","53"],["1732","9"],["1733","8"],["1734","7"],["1735","5"],["1736","6"],["1737","10"],["1738","220"],["1739","4"],["1740","12"],["1741","2"],["1742","14"],["1743","15"],["1744","15"],["1745","7"],["1746","9"],["1747","13"],["1748","28"],["1749","7"],["1750","23"],["1751","25"],["1752","17"],["1753","20"],["1754","24"],["1755","16"],["1756","23"],["1757","36"],["1758","509"],["1759","21"],["1760","22"],["1761","26"],["1762","9"],["1763","122"],["1764","203"],["1765","14"],["1766","133"],["1767","33"],["1768","19"],["1769","14"],["1770","32"],["1771","24"],["1772","19"],["1773","145"],["1774","26"],["1775","84"],["1776","244"],["1777","133"],["1778","30"],["1779","90"],["1780","175"],["1781","66"],["1782","57"],["1783","83"],["1784","229"],["1785","79"],["1786","552"],["1787","133"],["1788","427"],["1789","105"],["1790","1110"],["1791","325"],["1792","57"],["1793","67"],["1794","108"],["1795","216"],["1796","443"],["1797","78"],["1798","90"],["1799","220"],["1800","459"],["1801","468"],["1802","485"],["1803","726"],["1804","1358"],["1805","355"],["1806","398"],["1807","2944"],["1808","691"],["1809","696"],["1810","1150"],["1811","406"],["1812","473"],["1813","357"],["1814","647"],["1815","591"],["1816","472"],["1817","871"],["1818","766"],["1819","1582"],["1820","832"],["1821","1073"],["1822","1067"],["1823","937"],["1824","1070"],["1825","1297"],["1826","829"],["1827","1372"],["1828","1125"],["1829","522"],["1830","2857"],["1831","2191"],["1832","1228"],["1833","908"],["1834","683"],["1835","951"],["1836","1404"],["1837","922"],["1838","966"],["1839","1155"],["1840","1169"],["1841","1071"],["1842","1964"],["1843","1316"],["1844","1288"],["1845","1185"],["1846","1490"],["1847","996"],["1848","1538"],["1849","2272"],["1850","2018"],["1851","1662"],["1852","1621"],["1853","3101"],["1854","1759"],["1855","1999"],["1856","2078"],["1857","2100"],["1858","1576"],["1859","2539"],["1860","2508"],["1861","1982"],["1862","995"],["1863","1926"],["1864","2167"],["1865","2321"],["1866","1553"],["1867","2038"],["1868","2458"],["1869","1855"],["1870","1613"],["1871","1911"],["1872","2102"],["1873","1974"],["1874","2636"],["1875","1955"],["1876","2256"],["1877","2241"],["1878","3185"],["1879","2967"],["1880","3330"],["1881","2544"],["1882","2988"],["1883","3006"],["1884","2804"],["1885","2823"],["1886","2548"],["1887","3494"],["1888","2331"],["1889","2636"],["1890","2889"],["1891","3686"],["1892","2755"],["1893","2526"],["1894","3842"],["1895","3990"],["1896","4965"],["1897","4609"],["1898","3976"],["1899","4138"],["1900","5403"],["1901","5015"],["1902","5289"],["1903","5970"],["1904","6587"],["1905","5935"],["1906","5781"],["1907","5632"],["1908","5723"],["1909","4642"],["1910","4924"],["1911","5489"],["1912","6320"],["1913","6099"],["1914","5264"],["1915","4355"],["1916","7009"],["1917","4428"],["1918","4486"],["1919","4173"],["1920","6088"],["1921","6251"],["1922","6222"],["1923","7145"],["1924","6070"],["1925","6569"],["1926","3772"],["1927","4517"],["1928","4255"],["1929","4646"],["1930","4536"],["1931","3547"],["1932","3072"],["1933","2730"],["1934","3255"],["1935","3366"],["1936","2929"],["1937","3480"],["1938","3777"],["1939","3663"],["1940","3264"],["1941","2502"],["1942","3093"],["1943","2281"],["1944","2099"],["1945","2869"],["1946","3623"],["1947","3490"],["1948","4464"],["1949","3996"],["1950","4165"],["1951","3347"],["1952","4163"],["1953","3421"],["1954","3508"],["1955","3466"],["1956","3419"],["1957","4679"],["1958","4128"],["1959","3732"],["1960","4598"],["1961","4644"],["1962","5080"],["1963","5462"],["1964","4635"],["1965","5824"],["1966","5496"],["1967","5439"],["1968","6286"],["1969","5959"],["1970","6311"],["1971","5375"],["1972","6707"],["1973","5081"],["1974","4925"],["1975","5284"],["1976","4953"],["1977","4922"],["1978","5019"],["1979","5399"],["1980","5280"],["1981","5993"],["1982","5992"],["1983","6068"],["1984","7462"],["1985","6208"],["1986","5898"],["1987","6924"],["1988","5794"],["1989","6419"],["1990","7463"],["1991","7296"],["1992","8060"],["1993","7318"],["1994","7542"],["1995","7700"],["1996","7946"],["1997","8575"],["1998","9582"],["1999","8911"],["2000","9770"],["2001","10583"],["2002","10840"],["2003","13424"],["2004","15903"],["2005","14402"],["2006","16752"],["2007","23169"],["2008","39438"]]

Anagrams for retort »

1. rotter

2. retrot

How to pronounce retort?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say retort in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of retort in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of retort in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of retort in a Sentence

1. Madison Cawthorn:

   I think the Green New Deal is much less of a climate plan and much more of a Communist manifesto, so this is really a retort to that.

2. Elie Mystal:

   Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution.

3. Covenant Akinlotan:

   In every ebb and flow, give support not retort, let kindness transport. With support we can build a strong fort.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=retort
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Retort
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=retort
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retort
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retort
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=retort
8. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=retort