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To take back. The sun, like this, from which our sight we have, Gazed on too long, resumes the light he gave. Denham. Perhaps God will resume the blessing he has bestowed ere he attains the age of manhood. Sir W. Scott.

Taking back; resuming, or tending toward resumption; as, resumptive measures.

The state of luing on the back; the state of being resupinate, or reversed. Our Vitruvius calleth this affection in the eye a resupination of the figure. Sir H. Wotton.

Lying on the back; supine; hence, careless. Sir K. Digby. He spake, and, downward swayed, fell resupine, With his huge neck aslant. Cowper.

. [Obs.] Sir W. Temple. Retaining wall (Arch. & Engin.), a wall built to keep any movable backing, or a bank of sand or earth, in its place; -- called also retain wall.

To stay back. [Obs.] Sir. T. Browne.

The keeping back of an approaching consonant chord by prolonging one or more tones of a previous chord into the intermediate chord which follows; -- differing from suspension by resolving upwards instead of downwards.

The delicate membrane by which the back part of the globe of the eye is lined, and in which the fibers of the optic nerve terminate. See Eye.

To go back or return; to draw back or away; to keep aloof; to withdraw or retreat, as from observation; to go into privacy; as, to retire to his home; to retire from the world, or from notice. To Una back he cast him to retire. Spenser. The mind contracts herself, and shrinketh in, And to herself she gladly doth retire…

To bend or curve back; as, a retorted line. With retorted head, pruned themselves as they floated. Southey.

Act of retorting or throwing back; reflection or turning back. [Written also retorsion.] It was, however, necessary to possess some single term expressive of this intellectual retortion. Sir W. Hamilton.

To toss back or again.

To trace back, as a line. Then if the line of Turnus you retrace, He springs from Inachus of Argive race. Driden.

To draw back; to draw up or shorten; as, the cat can retract its claws; to retract a muscle.

CApable of retraction; capable of being drawn back or up; as, the claws of a cat are retractile.

The act of retracting, or drawing back; the state of being retracted; as, the retraction of a cat's claws.

To transform anew or back. -- Re`trans*for*ma"tion, n.

To translate anew; especially, to translate back into the original language.

To pay back; to give in return, as payment, reward, or punishment; to requite; as, to retribute one for his kindness; to retribute just punishment to a criminal. [Obs. or R.] Locke.

To recall; to bring back. To retrieve them from their cold, trivial conceits. Berkeley.