retractile
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonretractile adjective
- nonretractility noun
- retractility noun
- subretractile adjective
Etymology
Origin of retractile
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mantle oval, covering the head and the greater part of the body; anterior tentacles, ill-developed; branchiae generally retractile.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5 "Gassendi, Pierre" to "Geocentric" by Various
The claws are large, strongly curved, compressed, very sharp, and exhibit the retractile condition in the highest degree.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4 "Carnegie Andrew" to "Casus Belli" by Various
The arteries are highly elastic, being extensile and retractile both in length and breadth.
From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Michener, Charles B.
The thoracic vertebrae number 13; the feet are digitigrade, with five front and four hind toes, of which the claws are retractile; and the metatarsus is haired all round.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4 "Carnegie Andrew" to "Casus Belli" by Various
Sem′i-recon′dite, half-hidden; Sem′i-rē′flex, involuntarily performed, but not entirely independent of the will; Sem′i-reg′ular, pertaining to a quadrilateral having four equal sides, but only pairs of equal angles; Sem′i-retrac′tile, retractile to some extent.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
