retrograde

Meanings

Adjective

• Directed or moving backwards in relation to the normal or previous direction of travel; retreating.
• Reverting to an inferior or less developed state; declining, regressing.
• Of the order of something: inverse, reverse.
• Of ideas or a person: opposing social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo; conservative.
• Of a metamorphic change: resulting from a decrease in pressure or temperature.
• Of amnesia: relating to the period leading up to the episode which caused it.
• Of verse: reading the same forwards or backwards; palindromic.

Adverb

• In a reverse direction; backwards.

Noun

• A movement backwards or opposite to the intended or normal motion.
• One who opposes social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo; a conservative.
• One who reneges on an agreement, or switches loyalties; a rebel, a renegade.
• The reversal of a melody so that what is played first in the original melody is played last, and what is played last in the original melody is played first.

Origin

• + *-trō (probably from intrō); gradus is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ-.
• The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.
• From Middle French retrograder (modern French rétrograder), and from its etymon Latin retrōgradī, the present active infinitive of retrōgradior (compare Late Latin retrogradare, retrogradari, retrogredere), from retrō + gradior (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ-).