English → Latin
“retort” in Latin
referōto bear, bring, drive, or carry back, off, or away; to give back, give up, return, restore, pay back, repay, render, payremittōto send back, to remit, to throw back, restore; to forgive, free one from any thing; to give up, reject, yield, resign, regōto rule, govern, direct; to guide, steer, control; to oversee, manageretorqueōto twist, turn, bend or cast back; avert, deflect; to retort, cast backcrīmena judicial decision, verdict, or judgment; an object of reproach, invective; a crime, fault, offenseargūmentumargument (as in an argument for a position); evidence, a proof; a point, a theme; a topic, thesisrespondeōto reply, answer, respond; to offer or present in return; to measure uprespōnsiōanswer, reply, response; refutation
The English word retort itself goes back to Latin torqueō, through retortus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
retort v.
referre: remittere: rejicere: regerere (retorquere; e.g., crimen, argumentum, late). An argument that can be easily retorted, contrarium genus argumentations (Quint., but not Cic., ; Vid: Ern., Lex. Rhetoricum).
retort s.
A reply, responsum: responsio; or rather by the verbs.
A chemical vessel, *vas chemicum curvo collo (Kraft); perhaps *lagena curvi colli (Gorenz.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for retort?
- The usual Latin words for “retort” are referō, remittō, regō; also retorqueō, crīmen, argūmentum. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.