*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of retar

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- Proto-Indo-European *dóruder. Proto-Germanic *terwą Old English teoru Middle English ter English tar English retar From re

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 ↗
verb

To provide (a road, etc.) with a new coating of tar.

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

Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- Proto-Indo-European *dóruder. Proto-Germanic *terwą Old English teoru Middle English ter English tar English retar From re- + tar.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "re-",
        "4": "tar<id:substance>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Italic *wre-\nLatin re-der.\nOld French re-bor.\nMiddle English re-\nEnglish re-\nProto-Indo-European *dóruder.\nProto-Germanic *terwą\nOld English teoru\nMiddle English ter\nEnglish tar\nEnglish retar\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"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\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"re-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"re-\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"re-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"id\" : \"substance\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*dóru\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*terwą\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"teoru\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"ter\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"tar\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"retar\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"retar\">\nFrom re- + tar."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "re-",
        "4": "tar<id:substance>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Italic *wre-\nLatin re-der.\nOld French re-bor.\nMiddle English re-\nEnglish re-\nProto-Indo-European *dóruder.\nProto-Germanic *terwą\nOld English teoru\nMiddle English ter\nEnglish tar\nEnglish retar\nFrom re- + tar."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*wre-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/wre-#Proto-Italic:_again"
    ],
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#English"
    ],
    [
      "*dóru",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dóru"
    ],
    [
      "*terwą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/terwą"
    ],
    [
      "teoru",
      "teoru#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ter",
      "ter#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tar",
      "tar#English:_substance"
    ],
    [
      "re-",
      "re-#English"
    ],
    [
      "tar",
      "tar#English:_substance"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To provide (a road, etc.) with a new coating of tar."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "20bc39d96f815b4104440397267dcad07b147f47483f51734bd6e0b406a64b06",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7657dd0088d0c4a8cb68ccc7041d6ac5884281857f0348b889b62abdb20a2e7f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 696097
    }
  ],
  "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 retar →

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-cmV0YXI