English edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English *recchen, *rechen (attested in arechen), hræcen (to cough up), from Old English hrǣċan (to clear the throat, hawk, spit), from Proto-West Germanic *hrākijan, from Proto-Germanic *hrēkijaną (to clear one's throat), from Proto-Indo-European *kreg- (to caw, crow). Cognate with Icelandic hrækja (to hawk, spit), Limburgish räöke (to induce vomiting), Bavarian reckn (to retch, gag) and German recken (to retch, gag). Also related with German Rachen (throat).

Alternative forms edit

  • reach (archaic or dialectal)

Verb edit

retch (third-person singular simple present retches, present participle retching, simple past and past participle retched)

  1. To make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; to strain, as in vomiting.
    • 1819–1824, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London, (please specify |canto=I to XVII):
      Here he grew inarticulate with retching.
Translations edit

Noun edit

retch (plural retches)

  1. An unsuccessful effort to vomit.
Translations edit

Etymology 2 edit

From Middle English recchen (to care; heed), from Old English rēċċan, variant of rēċan (to care; reck), from Proto-Germanic *rōkijaną (to care), from Proto-Indo-European *reǵ- (straight, right, just).

Verb edit

retch (third-person singular simple present retches, present participle retching, simple past and past participle retched)

  1. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To reck.
Related terms edit

Etymology 3 edit

From Middle English recchen, from Old English reċċan (to stretch, extend), from Proto-West Germanic *rakkjan, from Proto-Germanic *rakjaną (to straighten, stretch), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃roǵéyeti.

Verb edit

retch (third-person singular simple present retches, present participle retching, simple past and past participle retched or (obsolete) raught)

  1. (dialectal) Alternative form of reach

Anagrams edit