re-coil
[ree-koil]
- to coil again.
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Origin of re-coil
recoil
[verb ri-koil; noun ree-koil, ri-koil]
- to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
- to spring or fly back, as in consequence of force of impact or the force of the discharge, as a firearm.
- to spring or come back; react (usually followed by on or upon): Plots frequently recoil upon the plotters.
- Physics. (of an atom, a nucleus, or a particle) to undergo a change in momentum as a result either of a collision with an atom, a nucleus, or a particle or of the emission of a particle.
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- an act of recoiling.
- the distance through which a weapon moves backward after discharging.
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Origin of recoil
Synonyms
See more synonyms for recoil on Thesaurus.com1. withdraw, quail, flinch, falter. 2. rebound.
Synonym study
1. See wince1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for recoiled
Contemporary Examples
But we recoiled against the idea that the only way to secure them was to work hard enough and long enough to own them.
As a teenager, I recoiled from this image of my father as a violent mess, and I began to build a better version in my own mind.
I leaned out of the window but recoiled with disgust, for the young man with the pasty face stood below in the churchyard.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the ShowRobert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
I called Tony to thank him, but instead of accepting the thanks he recoiled.
But until very recently, even Western societies often recoiled when confronted with a powerful woman in a position of authority.
Why DSK's Wife Beat Out Christine Lagarde as France's Woman of the YearLeslie Bennetts
December 21, 2011
Historical Examples
Vaudemont recoiled before that gaze, and turned from the church.
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
After that he recoiled from hurt because he knew that it was hurt.
White FangJack London
Sigmund looked surprised, and recoiled a little; a shock clouding his eyes.
The First ViolinJessie Fothergill
In astonishment at seeing me, Bersonin recoiled; Detchard jumped to his sword.
The Prisoner of ZendaAnthony Hope
As Vere saw it, showing redly through the darkness, she recoiled.
A Spirit in PrisonRobert Hichens
recoil
- to jerk back, as from an impact or violent thrust
- (often foll by from) to draw back in fear, horror, or disgustto recoil from the sight of blood
- (foll by on or upon) to go wrong, esp so as to hurt the perpetrator
- (of a nucleus, atom, molecule, or elementary particle) to change momentum as a result of the emission of a photon or particle
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- the backward movement of a gun when fired
- the distance moved
- the motion acquired by a particle as a result of its emission of a photon or other particle
- the act of recoiling
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French reculer, from re- + cul rump, from Latin cūlus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for recoiled
recoil
n.
c.1300, "retreat," from Old French recul "recoil, backward movement, retreat," from reculer (see recoil (v.)). Meaning "back-kick of a firearm" is from 1570s.
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recoil
v.
early 13c. (transitive) "force back, drive back," from Old French reculer "to go back, give way, recede, retreat" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *reculare, from Latin re- "back" (see re-) + culus "backside, bottom, fundament." Meaning "shrink back, retreat" is first recorded c.1300; and that of "spring back" (as a gun) in 1520s. Related: Recoiled; recoiling.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper