retrocede
verb
ret·ro·cede
ˌre-trō-ˈsēd 
retroceded; retroceding
: to go back : recede
[French rétrocéder, from Medieval Latin retrocedere, from Latin retro- + cedere to cede]
: to cede back
retrocede a territory
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.
Examples of retrocede in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Why was Alexandria allowed to retrocede in 1846?
—
Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 23 Apr. 2021
The South Dakota congressional delegation largely shares his view: Rep. Dusty Johnson (R) filed a bill last month to retrocede the District to Maryland.
—Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2021
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Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 23 Apr. 2021
The South Dakota congressional delegation largely shares his view: Rep. Dusty Johnson (R) filed a bill last month to retrocede the District to Maryland.
—Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Retrocede.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrocede. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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