retrocede

verb

ret·​ro·​cede ˌre-trō-ˈsēd 

retroceded; retroceding

intransitive verb

: to go back : recede

transitive verb

[French rétrocéder, from Medieval Latin retrocedere, from Latin retro- + cedere to cede] : 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.

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

Word History

Etymology

Latin retrocedere, from retro- + cedere to go, cede

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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