*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -tard

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re- Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂dos Proto-Italic *tardos Latin tardus Latin retardōlbor. Anglo-Norman retarderbor. Middle English retarden English retard

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

Used to form words conveying an attitude of contempt or doubt over the subject's intelligence.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re- Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂dos Proto-Italic *tardos Latin tardus Latin retardōlbor. Anglo-Norman retarderbor. Middle English retarden English retard English -tard From retard.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "retard<id:Q193607>",
        "id": "idiot",
        "text": "1",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Italic *wre-\nLatin re-\nProto-Indo-European *terh₂-\nProto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂dos\nProto-Italic *tardos\nLatin tardus\nLatin retardōlbor.\nAnglo-Norman retarderbor.\nMiddle English retarden\nEnglish retard\nEnglish -tard\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"lbor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Learned borrowing from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"again\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*wre-\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"re-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"gloss\" : \"slow\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*tr̥h₂dos\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*terh₂-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*tardos\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"tardus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"retardō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"lbor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Anglo-Norman\", \"term\" : \"retarder\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"xno\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"retarden\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"retard\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-tard\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"idiot\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-tard\" id=\"English:_idiot\">\nFrom retard."
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "retard<id:Q193607>",
        "id": "idiot",
        "text": "1",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Italic *wre-\nLatin re-\nProto-Indo-European *terh₂-\nProto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂dos\nProto-Italic *tardos\nLatin tardus\nLatin retardōlbor.\nAnglo-Norman retarderbor.\nMiddle English retarden\nEnglish retard\nEnglish -tard\nFrom retard."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*wre-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/wre-#Proto-Italic:_again"
    ],
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*terh₂-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/terh₂-"
    ],
    [
      "*tardos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/tardos"
    ],
    [
      "tardus",
      "tardus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "retardō",
      "retardo#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "retarder",
      "retarder#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "retarden",
      "retarden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "retard",
      "retard#English:_Q193607"
    ],
    [
      "retard",
      "retard#English:_Q193607"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to form words conveying an attitude of contempt or doubt over the subject's intelligence."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "morpheme",
        "offensive",
        "slang",
        "vulgar"
      ],
      "recordId": "8dc7d0b48c6bba9e220db79d20094ba346d91f2f9151be6ec89d026178b6bda7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "297f4e6e05ef502f6bb2c1db4c311068d5b9b46b5b543be330ce9916c9191eab",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4156413
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -tard →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LXRhcmQ