retro

rē̆trō, adv. [from re and the pronominal suffix ter, as in citro, ultro, intro, etc.].

I.

Lit., of place, backwards, back; on the back side, behind.

a.

Denoting tendency, direction, with verbs or nouns of motion:

multa videbis retro repulsa revorti,

Lucr. 2, 130; so very often with redire, regredi, repetere, remittere, respicere, reverti, revocare, etc., v. h. vv., and cf. Drak. ad Liv. 22, 6, 7, and 27, 28, 6:

vestigia retro sequor,

Verg. A. 2, 753; 9, 392; 11, 405:

dare lintea retro,

id. ib. 3, 686:

ora retro Flectit,

Ov. M. 15, 685:

retro inhibitā nave,

Liv. 30, 10 et saep.: iter mihi retro ad Alpes versus incidit, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 15, 2; cf.:

fugam retro spectante milite,

Liv. 8, 19:

fugit retro,

Hor. C. 2, 11, 5:

ne currente retro funis eat rotā,

id. ib. 3, 10, 10:

meretrix retro Perjura cedit,

id. ib. 1, 35, 25:

retro properare,

Ov. H. 5, 31:

unde ad hunc orbem redii, unde retro nemo,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 48.—

b.

Denoting rest (rare):

est mihi in ultimis conclave aedibus quoddam retro,

Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 29:

quid retro atque a tergo fieret, ne laboraret,

Cic. Div. 1, 24, 49:

perculsis nullum retro subsidium foret,

Tac. H. 2, 26:

retro Marsigni, etc.,

id. G. 43:

MEMORIAM SE VIVA FECIT SIBI... CVM AEDICVLIS ANTE ET A RETRO,

Inscr. Orell. 4512.—

II.

Trop.

A.

Of time, back; in time back, in past times, before, formerly:

et deinceps retro usque ad Romulum,

Cic. Rep. 1, 37, 58; cf.:

SVPER OMNES RETRO PRINCIPES FORTISSIMO IMP. CAES., etc.,

Inscr. Orell. 1049;

and so, OMNES RETRO PRINCIPES,

ib. 1098:

quodcumque retro est,

is past, Hor. C. 3, 29, 46:

praemissa retro nobilitas,

Stat. S. 1, 4, 68; Traj. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 118 (120):

cujus vim si retro quoque velimus custodire (opp. in futurum),

id. ib. 10, 115 (116) fin.:

meliorum retro principum ( = superiorum),

Lampr. Alex. Sev. 34:

cum id ab aliis retro factum recordarer,

Tert. Uxor. 2, 2:

Hebraei retro, qui nunc Judaei,

id. Apol. 18.—

B.

In other relations, back, behind, in return, on the contrary, on the other hand, vice versa:

ab imā (voce) ad summam ac retro multi sunt gradus,

Quint. 11, 3, 15:

ut omnia, quae sine eā (honestate) sint, longe retro ponenda censeat,

Cic. Tusc. 5, 31, 87:

rursum versus retroque,

id. Part. 7, 24; cf.:

vide rursus retro,

id. Fin. 5, 28, 83: sic omnia fatis In pejus ruere, ac retro sublapsa referri, i. e. against one ' s efforts or wish, Verg. G. 1, [p. 1588] 200; cf.:

retro vivere,

Sen. Ep. 122 fin.:

si malum perfidia, non est fallendum. Idem retro,

Quint. 5, 10, 74:

fructus hominis in operis consistit et retro in fructu hominis operae sunt,

Dig. 7, 7, 4; cf. ib. 46, 1, 21; 46, 3, 67 et saep.

► The words containing retro in composition (except retroversus and retrorsus) are post-Aug.

; they are sometimes written separately.