retard

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Anglo-Norman or (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Anglo-Norman retarder, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin retardāre (“to retard”), from re- + tardus (“slow”)

Pronunciation

Noun (delay sense), verb

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈtɑː(ɹ)d/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)d

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (UK):

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Noun (offensive slang sense)

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹiːtɑː(ɹ)d/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Noun

retard (plural retards)

1. Retardation; delay.
2. (music) A slowing down of the tempo; a ritardando.
3. (offensive, dated) A person with mental retardation.

   The retard in our class needs special help.

4. (informal, offensive) Any stupid person, or one who is slow to learn.

Usage notes

Through the euphemism treadmill, the term retard (which originated as a neutral substitute for the terms that had previously designated those with disabilities, namely idiot, imbecile, and moron) has come to be considered offensive; see Wikipedia for more. In a 2003 survey by the BBC, retard was voted the most offensive word relating to disability, followed by spastic.

Synonyms

• (retardation): delay, hold-up, retardation
• (person with mental retardation): retarded, idiot, tard (offensive), imbecile (disused medical term), mental deficient (legal term), moron (disused medical term), person with learning difficulties
• (stupid person): See also Thesaurus:fool

Derived terms

• -tard

Translations

retardation; delay

• Afrikaans: vertraging, vertragings pl
• Finnish: viive (fi), hidaste (fi)
• French: retard (fr)
• German: Verzögerung (de) f, Verspätung (de) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latvian: kavēšanās, vilcināšanās
• Russian: замедле́ние (ru) n (zamedlénije), заде́ржка (ru) f (zadéržka)
• Spanish: perecear (es)

a person with mental retardation

• Afrikaans: vertraagde, vertraagdes, mongool, mongole pl
• Finnish: henkisesti jälkeenjäänyt, jälkeenjäänyt (fi)
• French: retardé (fr)
• Greek: καθυστερημένος (el) (kathysteriménos), βλαμμένος (el) (vlamménos)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: ritardato mentale m
• Japanese: 知恵遅れ (chieokure)
• Russian: деби́л (ru) m (debíl)
• Yiddish: תּם m (tam)

a stupid person, or one who is slow to learn

• Afrikaans: idioot (af), idiote, nool, nole pl
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 笨蛋 (zh) (Bèndàn), 傻子 (zh) (Shǎzi), 智障 (zh) (Zhìzhàng)

• Dutch: mogool
• Finnish: idiootti (fi), vähä-älyinen (fi), kehari (fi)
• French: attardé (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 병신 (ko) (pyeongsin)
• Russian: то́рмоз (ru) m (tórmoz)
• Yiddish: תּם m (tam)

Verb

retard (third-person singular simple present retards, present participle retarding, simple past and past participle retarded)

1. (transitive) To keep delaying; to continue to hinder; to prevent from progress

   retard the march of an army

   retard the motion of a ship

   Synonyms: impede, hinder, hold up

2. (transitive) To put off; to postpone.

   to retard the attacks of old age

   to retard a rupture between nations

3. (transitive, obsolete) To be slow or dilatory to perform (something).
4. (intransitive) To decelerate; to slow down.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To stay back.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Thomas Browne to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (keep delaying; continue to hinder): decelerate, hinder, slow, slow down; See also Thesaurus:hinder
• (postpone): postpone, put off; See also Thesaurus:procrastinate
• (slow to perform): reluctant
• (decelerate): decelerate, slow, slow down, slow up
• (stay back): hang back, stay back; See also Thesaurus:tarry

Antonyms

• (keep delaying; continue to hinder): accelerate, speed, speed up
• (postpone):
• (stay back): come forward

Derived terms

• retarded

Translations

keep delaying; impede; etc

• Afrikaans: vertraag
• Finnish: hidastaa (fi), viivyttää (fi), jarruttaa (fi)
• German: verhindern (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latvian: kavēt, vilcināt
• Russian: заде́рживать (ru) (zadérživatʹ)

put off; postpone

• Afrikaans: uitstel
• Finnish: siirtää tuonnemmaksi, lykätä (fi)
• German: verschieben (de), aufschieben (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ido: tardigar (io)
• Latvian: jūgt ārā, jūgt nost
• Russian: откла́дывать (ru) (otkládyvatʹ)

stay back

• Afrikaans: agterbly
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: zurückbleiben (de)

References

• IQ Basics, including formerly used medical terms for people with very low IQs

Anagrams

• Darter, R-rated, Trader, darter, dartre, retrad, tarred, trader

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French

Etymology

From the verb retarder

Pronunciation

• audio:

  (file)

Noun

retard m (plural retards)

1. delay

Derived terms

• en retard

Further reading

• “retard”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• tarder, trader