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Added 9 October 2026

ret

/ɹɛt/ verb

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ret at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Place (flax, hemp, or jute) in liquid so as to promote loosening of the fibers from the woody tissue.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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