English → Latin
“retrograde” in Latin
irritusinvalid, void, null and void; ineffective, useless, irrelevantvānusvain, empty, vacant, void; unsubstantial; groundless, baseless, meaningless, pointless, worthless, ineffectual, mindlessretrōback, backwards, behind; before, formerlyretrōrsumbackwards; in reverse orderrecēdōto go away, withdraw, retire, depart from a place; to abandon a thingregrediorto go or come back; turn back, return; to march back, withdraw, retire, retreat; to have recourse, revertretrōgradiorto go or step back or backwards, retrograde
The English word retrograde itself goes back to Latin retrōgradior.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
retrograde adj.
PROP., retrogradus (Plin.); usually by the adverb, retro, retrorsum. To have a retrograde motion, recedere (opposed to adire; of the planets): to make a retrograde movement, se recipere; pedem referre: a retrograde motion, regressus (opposed to progressus, Cic., N.D., 2, 20, 51; of the planets): recessus (opposed to accessus).
Figuratively, irritus: vanus.
retrograde v.
PROP., To go back, retrogradi (Plin.): retroire (Sen.): se recipere; pedem referre (to retire, give ground).
Figuratively, To decline, Vid.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for retrograde?
- The usual Latin words for “retrograde” are irritus, vānus, retrō; also retrōrsum, recēdō, regredior. 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.