retrograde

Etymology 1

The adjective is derived from Middle English retrograd, retrograde (“of a planet: appearing to move in a direction opposite to the order of the zodiac signs, retrograde; unfortunate”), from Middle French retrograde and Old French retrograde (“of a celestial object: appearing to move backwards; moving backwards; reverse; palindromic; opposed to change”) (modern French rétrograde), and from their etymon Latin retrōgradus (“of a celestial object: appearing to move backwards”) (compare Late Latin retrōgradus (“reverse; palindromic”)), from retrō (“back, backwards; behind; before, formerly”) + gradus (“pace, step”). Retrō is derived from re- (prefix meaning ‘back, backwards’) + *-trō (probably from intrō (“to enter, go into”)); gradus is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ- (“to go; to walk”). The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.

adj

1. Directed or moving backwards in relation to the normal or previous direction of travel; retreating.
2. Reverting to an inferior or less developed state; declining, regressing.
   1. (zoology) Of an animal: appearing to regress to a less developed form during its lifetime.
3. Of the order of something: inverse, reverse.
   1. (music) Having a passage of music played backwards.
4. Of ideas or a person: opposing social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo; conservative.
   retrograde ideas, morals, etc.
5. (archaic)
   1. Involving a return to or a retracing of a previous course of travel.
   2. Counterproductive to a desired outcome; contradictory, contrary.
6. (astronomy)
   1. Of a celestial body orbiting another: in the opposite direction to the orbited body's spin.
   2. (also astrology) Of a celestial body: seeming to move across the sky in the opposite direction from its ordinary movement.
7. (geology) Of a metamorphic change: resulting from a decrease in pressure or temperature.
8. (medicine) Of amnesia: relating to the period leading up to the episode which caused it.
9. (poetry, archaic) Of verse: reading the same forwards or backwards; palindromic.

adv

1. In a reverse direction; backwards.

noun

1. A movement backwards or opposite to the intended or normal motion.
   1. (astrology) The apparent movement of a planet across the sky in the opposite direction from its ordinary movement.
2. One who opposes social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo; a conservative.
3. (archaic) One who reneges on an agreement, or switches loyalties; a rebel, a renegade.
4. (music) 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.

Etymology 2

From Middle French retrograder (“to (cause to) go back, return; to (cause to) move backwards; of a celestial object: to show retrograde motion; to date to an earlier period”) (modern French rétrograder), and from its etymon Latin retrōgradī, the present active infinitive of retrōgradior (“to go or step back or backwards; of a celestial object: to show retrograde motion”) (compare Late Latin retrogradare, retrogradari, retrogredere), from retrō (“back, backwards; behind; before, formerly”) + gradior (“to step, walk; to advance, go”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ- (“to go; to walk”)).

verb

1. (transitive)
   1. (geography) To cause (a land feature such as a coastline or waterfall) to undergo retrogradation, that is, to travel in the direction of the land or upstream due to erosion.
   2. (geology) To change (minerals, rocks, etc.) metamorphically through a decrease in pressure or temperature.
   3. (obsolete) To cause (someone or something) to revert to an inferior or less developed state.
2. (intransitive)
   1. To revert to an inferior or less developed state; to decline, to regress.
   2. (astrology, astronomy) Of a celestial body, especially a planet: to show retrogradation; to seem to move across the sky in the opposite direction from its ordinary movement.
   3. (geography) Of a land feature: to travel in the direction of the land or upstream due to erosion.
   4. (military) To retreat or withdraw from a position.
   5. (obsolete)
      1. To move backwards; to recede.
         A dabble in the stocks does not always turn out profitably; cotton is sometimes heavy on our hands, and real estate will sulkily retrograde, when, by the calculation, it ought to have advanced. 1845, Joseph C. Neal, “The Moral of Goslyne Greene, who was Born to a Fortune”, in The Gift: A Christmas, New Year, and Birthday Present, Philadelphia, Pa.: Carey and Hart, →OCLC, page 68
      2. Of the telling of an incident, etc.: to move to an earlier time.