different between earth vs retreat

English

Etymology

From Middle English erthe, from Old English eorþe (“earth, ground, soil, dry land”), from Proto-West Germanic *erþu, from Proto-Germanic *erþ? (“earth, ground, soil”) (compare West Frisian ierde, Low German Eerd, Dutch aarde, Dutch Low Saxon eerde, German Erde, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian jord), related to *erwô (“earth”) (compare Old High German ero, perhaps Old Norse j?rfi), from Proto-Indo-European *h?er- (compare Ancient Greek *??? (*éra) in ????? (éraze, “on the ground”), perhaps Tocharian B yare (“gravel”).

Probably unrelated, and of unknown etymology, is Old Armenian ????? (erkir, “earth”). Likewise, the phonologically similar Proto-Semitic *?ar??- – whence Arabic ?????? (?ar?), Hebrew ?????? (?ere?) – is probably not related.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)?

Proper noun

earth

2. Alternative letter-case form of Earth; Our planet, third out from the Sun.

Usage notes

• The word earth is capitalized to Earth when used in context with other celestial bodies.

Translations

Noun

earth (countable and uncountable, plural earths)

1. (uncountable) Soil.

2. (uncountable) Any general rock-based material.

3. The ground, land (as opposed to the sky or sea).
4. (Britain) A connection electrically to the earth ((US) ground); on equipment: a terminal connected in that manner.
5. The lair (as a hole on the ground) of an animal such as fox.
6. A region of the planet; a land or country.
7. Worldly things, as against spiritual ones.
8. The world of our current life (as opposed to heaven or an afterlife).
9. The people on the globe.
10. (archaic) The human body.
11. (alchemy, philosophy and Taoism) The aforementioned soil- or rock-based material, considered one of the four or five classical elements.
12. (chemistry, obsolete) Any of certain substances now known to be oxides of metal, which were distinguished by being infusible, and by insolubility in water.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Verb

earth (third-person singular simple present earths, present participle earthing, simple past and past participle earthed)

1. (Britain, transitive) To connect electrically to the earth.

   Synonym: ground

2. (transitive) To bury.
3. (transitive) To hide, or cause to hide, in the earth; to chase into a burrow or den.
4. (intransitive) To burrow.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Tickell to this entry?)

Derived terms

• earthing
• unearth

Translations

Anagrams

• Erath, Harte, Heart, Herat, Herta, Taher, Terah, Thera, hater, heart, rathe, rehat, th'are, thare

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English retret, from Old French retrait or retret, from Latin retractus, from retraho. Doublet of retract.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???t?i?t/
• Rhymes: -i?t

Noun

retreat (plural retreats)

1. The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
2. The act of reversing direction and receding from a forward position.
3. A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy or security.
   • 1692, Roger L'Estrange, "Fable 100: An Old Man and a Lion", Fables of Aesop, page 115

     ... he built his son a house of pleasure, on purpose to keep him out of harm's way; and spared neither art nor cost to make it a delicious retreat.

   • That pleasing shade they sought, a soft retreat / From sudden April showers, a shelter from the heat.

4. (rare and obsolete, euphemistic) A peaceful, quiet place in which to urinate and defecate: an outhouse; a lavatory.
5. A period of retirement, seclusion, or solitude.

6. A period of meditation, prayer or study.
7. Withdrawal by military force from a dangerous position or from enemy attack.

8. A signal for a military withdrawal.
9. A bugle call or drumbeat signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset, as on a military base.
10. A military ceremony to lower the flag.
11. (chess) The move of a piece from a threatened position.

Related terms

• retract

Translations

Verb

retreat (third-person singular simple present retreats, present participle retreating, simple past and past participle retreated) (intransitive)

1. To withdraw from a position, go back.
   1. To withdraw militar forces

2. (of a glacier) To shrink back due to generally warmer temperatures.
3. To slope back.

   a retreating forehead

Translations

Etymology 2

re- +? treat

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?i??t?i?t/
• Rhymes: -i?t

Verb

retreat (third-person singular simple present retreats, present participle retreating, simple past and past participle retreated)

1. Alternative spelling of re-treat

Further reading

• Retreat in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• treater, tree rat

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from English retreat. Doublet of retrett.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /r??tri?t/

Noun

retreat m (definite singular retreaten, indefinite plural retreater, definite plural retreatene)

1. a period of meditation, prayer or study; retreat
2. a location for such activities

Usage notes

• Prior to the 2005 spelling reform, this noun was considered grammatically neuter.

References

• “retreat” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “retreat” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from English retreat. Doublet of retrett.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /r??tri?t/ (example of pronunciation)

Noun

retreat m (definite singular retreaten, indefinite plural retreatar, definite plural retreatane)

1. a period of meditation, prayer or study; retreat
2. a location for such activities

Usage notes

• Prior to a revision made alongside the 2005 Bokmål spelling reform, this noun was considered grammatically neuter.

References

• “retreat” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.