retard: Meaning and Definition of

re•tard

Pronunciation: (ri-tärd', for 1–3, 5 rē'tärd for 4), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.); hinder or impede.
—v.i.
  1. to be delayed.
—n.
  1. a slowing down, diminution, or hindrance, as in a machine.
  2. . a hopeless social retard.
    1. a mentally retarded person.
    2. a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way:a hopeless social retard.
  3. an adjustment made in the setting of the distributor of an internal-combustion engine so that the spark for ignition in each cylinder is generated later in the cycle. Cf.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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