# ret

/ˈɹɛt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ret
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. soaking plants for fiber

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical · Archaic

to soak plants like flax or hemp in water so the fibers can be separated easily.

For teachers: to soak flax, hemp, or jute in water to soften the plant tissue and facilitate the separation of the fibers from the woody stalk.

- The farmers would ret the flax in the river for several days.
- Traditional methods required workers to ret the hemp in stagnant pools, a process that produced a distinctive and pungent odour throughout the valley.

Usage: The verb is transitive and typically takes a plant name as its direct object.

### 2. retired

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

a short way to write 'retired', often used after a person's name or job title.

For teachers: a standard abbreviation for 'retired', frequently employed in formal directories, military contexts, or professional listings.

- The guest speaker was Capt. Miller (Ret.), who served for thirty years.
- In the alumni directory, the suffix 'Ret.' distinguishes former faculty members who maintain an emeritus relationship with the university.

### 3. printing term

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

an old word for the second side of a sheet of paper being printed.

For teachers: a historical clipping of 'reiteration', referring to the second side of a sheet to be printed.

- The printer checked the ret to ensure the ink was dry.
- Early manual press operators had to be careful when aligning the ret to ensure the text backed up perfectly with the first side.

## Examples

- Farmers ret the flax in large tanks of water.
- After the harvest, the stalks are left in the field to ret naturally in the morning dew.
- Traditional textile production required workers to ret the raw plant material for several weeks before the fibers were supple enough to be spun into high-quality linen thread.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.