I. ri-ˈtrēv verb
( 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 -ˌtrē-və-ˈbi-lə-tē noun
• re·triev·able -ˈtrē-və-bəl adjective
II. noun
Date: 1697
1. : retrieval
2. : the successful return of a ball that is difficult to reach or control (as in tennis)