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