retrocede

verb

ret·​ro·​cede ˌre-trō-ˈsēd 

retroceded; retroceding

intransitive verb

: to go back : recede

transitive verb

: to cede back

retrocede a territory

retrocession

ˌre-trō-ˈse-shən 

noun

Did you know?

Retrocede is a 17th-century adaptation of Latin retrocēdere, which was formed by combining the prefix retro-, meaning "back" or "backward," with the verb cēdere, "to go or move away." Retrocede has a bit of a twist, however, because cēdere can also mean "cede" ("to yield or assign") and English cede traces back through French and Latin to this other meaning of cēdere. Other descendants of cēdere include accede, concede, intercede, precede, recede, secede, and even cede itself.

Word History

Etymology

Latin retrocedere, from retro- + cedere "to go, cede"; (transitive sense) French rétrocéder, from Medieval Latin retrocedere, going back to Latin

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for retrocede

• aniseed
• centipede
• cottonseed
• disagreed
• ganymede
• guaranteed
• intercede
• overspeed
• pedigreed
• refereed
• supercede
• supersede

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