English

Verb

ret ‎(third-person singular simple present rets, present participle retting, simple past and past participle retted)

1. (transitive) To prepare (flax, hemp etc.) for further processing by soaking, which facilitates separation of fibers from the woody parts of the stem.
   • 1989, Keith Bosley, translating Elias Lönnrot, The Kalevala, XLVIII:

     the hemp was retted / and soon the retting was done / and swiftly it was hung up / and hurriedly it was dried […].

   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, page 621:

     the lowland nearly silent except for water-thrushes, the harvested fields, the smell of hops being dried in kilns, flax pulled up and piled in sheaves, in local practice not to be retted till the spring

Derived terms

• retter

Translations

Etymology 2

Abbreviation.

Adjective

ret

1. retired

Translations

Anagrams

• ERT
• RTÉ

Catalan

Verb

ret

1. third-person singular present indicative form of retre
2. second-person singular imperative form of retre

Czech

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *rъtъ.

Pronunciation

Noun

ret m

1. lip

Derived terms

• rtěnka f

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rɛt/, [ˈʁɑd̥]
• Homophone: rat

Etymology 1

From Old Norse réttr, from Proto-Germanic *rehtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós.

Adjective

ret

1. straight

   en ret linje

   a straight line

2. right, proper
3. rightful

   den rette arving

   the rightful heir

4. plain (in knitting)

Inflection

Synonyms

• (rightful): retmæssig

Antonyms

• (rightful): uretmæssig
• (in knitting): vrang

Adverb

ret

1. straight
2. rightly, properly
3. rather, quite

   Han er ret høj.

   He is rather tall.

Etymology 2

Maybe from Middle Low German richte.

Noun

ret c (singular definite retten, plural indefinite retter)

1. (uncountable) right, justice, law
2. court, courtroom, lawcourt
3. dish, course (of food)
4. (uncountable) right side (e.g. of a fabric)

Declension

Lojban

Rafsi

ret

1. rafsi of preti.

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English red.

Adjective

ret

1. red