ret

¹ American  

[ret] / rɛt /

verb (used with object)

retted, retting

1. to soak in water or expose to moisture, as flax or hemp, to facilitate the removal of the fiber from the woody tissue by partial rotting.

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ret. ² American  

abbreviation

1. retain.

2. retired.

3. return.

4. returned.

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ret British  

/ rɛt /

verb

1. (tr) to moisten or soak (flax, hemp, jute, etc) to promote bacterial action in order to facilitate separation of the fibres from the woody tissue by beating

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Other Word Forms

• unretted adjective

Etymology

Origin of ret

1400–50; late Middle English reten, retten; cognate with Dutch reten (compare Dutch roten, German rössen, Swedish röta ); akin to rot

Example Sentences

The energy provider used to be able to source equipment from within Ukraine, but now it has to scour the ret of Europe for replacement parts.

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2025

Henceforth his people know him as Kuna Jo-Uk�God's last-born, the immortal ret of the Shilluks.

From Time Magazine Archive

The priests removed the image and Anei Kur was ret.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nearer the end I picked out the following: "I promised his maj ... e will find me here when he ret ... alone."

From The Lost Continent by Burroughs, Edgar Rice

Ah gits hin' his cheer ret easy, an' quick sneak his cheer f'om un'er him; an' when he finish he set smack on de flow!

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States, From Interviews with Former Slaves Virginia Narratives by Work Projects Administration