ret
verb (used with object)
to soak in water or expose to moisture, as flax or hemp, to facilitate the removal of the fiber from the woody tissue by partial rotting.
ret
1 American
[ret]
/ rɛt /
verb (used with object)
retted,
retting
ret.
2
American
abbreviation
-
retain.
-
retired.
-
return.
-
returned.
ret
British
/ rɛt /
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ret
1400–50; late Middle English reten, retten; cognate with Dutch reten (compare Dutch roten, German rössen, Swedish röta ); akin to rot
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The energy provider used to be able to source equipment from within Ukraine, but now it has to scour the ret of Europe for replacement parts.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2025
The priests removed the image and Anei Kur was ret.
From Time Magazine Archive
B, Section of Eye of Scolopendra. len, Corneal lens; ret, retinal or visual cells; n. opt, optic nerve.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 6 "Celtes, Konrad" to "Ceramics" by Various
Got uh brother libin' ret on dis here street; one den toof doctors, yuh know, what pulls yer teef.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States, From Interviews with Former Slaves Virginia Narratives by Work Projects Administration
Ret, ret, v.t. to expose hemp, jute, &c. to moisture.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various
One part was retted at Millisle by the patent-system of Loppens and Deswarte; the other was sent to Courtrai and steeped in the Lys.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 4 "Finland" to "Fleury, Andre" by Various
A considerable amount of flax grown elsewhere in Europe is sent to this part of Belgium to be retted.
From Commercial Geography A Book for High Schools, Commercial Courses, and Business Colleges by Jacques W. (Jacques Wardlaw) Redway
Nearly all of the hemp in the United States is dew retted.
From Hemp Hurds as Paper-Making Material United States Department of Agriculture, Bulletin No. 404 by Lyster H. (Lyster Hoxie) Dewey
Breaking removes the woody center from the retted and dried flax by being passed through a series of fluted rollers.
From Textiles and Clothing by Kate Heintz Watson
He first hoped to ret his flax in the Bride river, as he had seen it retted on the Lys, but was dissuaded from making this trial and, instead, built a hot water rettery.
From The Spinners by Eden Phillpotts
The flax of the country provided excellent raw material, notably in the region of the Lys, whose water was specially suitable for retting.
From Belgium From the Roman Invasion to the Present Day by Emile Cammaerts
The process is known as "retting," and after it is completed the fibres are easily isolated from each other.
From The Story of Germ Life by H. W. (Herbert William) Conn
In connexion with improvements in retting, Mr Michael Andrews, secretary of the Belfast Flax Supply Association, made some suggestions and experiments which deserve close attention.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 4 "Finland" to "Fleury, Andre" by Various
To separate this valuable commercial product from the woody matter the stalks are first subjected to a process termed retting, which is steeping them in water until they are quite soft.
From Textiles For Commercial, Industrial, and Domestic Arts Schools; Also Adapted to Those Engaged in Wholesale and Retail Dry Goods, Wool, Cotton, and Dressmaker's Trades by William H. (William Henry) Dooley
I described to my boys as we went along the process of retting, and explained to them how steeping the flax leaves destroys the useless membrane, while the strong fibres remain.
From Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
