Pronunciation: ri- ' tr ē v
Function: verb
Inflected Form: re · trieved ; re · triev · ing
Etymology: Middle English retreven, from Anglo-French retrueve-, present stem of retrover to find again, from re- + trover to compose, invent, find, from Vulgar Latin *tropare ― more at TROUBADOUR
Date: 15th century
transitive verb
1 : to locate and bring in (killed or wounded game)
2 : to call to mind again
3 : to get back again : REGAIN
4 a : RESCUE , SALVAGE b : to return (as a ball or shuttlecock that is difficult to reach) successfully
5 : RESTORE , REVIVE <his writing retrieve s the past>
6 : to remedy the evil consequences of : CORRECT
7 : to get and bring back especially : to recover (as information) from storage
intransitive verb : to bring in game <a dog that retrieve s well> also : to bring back an object thrown by a person
– re · triev · abil · i · ty \ - ˌ tr ē -v ə - ' bi-l ə -t ē \ noun
– re · triev · able \ - ' tr ē -v ə -b ə l \ adjective