Retract
Retract (re*trākt") , transitive verb
[French rétracter, Latin retractare, retractatum, to handle again, reconsider, retract, from retrahere, retractum, to draw back. See Retreat.]
1.
To draw back; to draw up or shorten; as, the cat can retract its claws; to retract a muscle.
2.
To withdraw; to recall; to disavow; to recant; to take back; as, to retract an accusation or an assertion.
I would as freely have retracted this charge of idolatry as I ever made it.
3.
To take back,, as a grant or favor previously bestowed; to revoke. [Obsolete] — Woodward
Retract , intransitive verb
1.
To draw back; to draw up; as, muscles retract after amputation.
2.
To take back what has been said; to withdraw a concession or a declaration.
She will, and she will not; she grants, denies,
Consents, retracts, advances, and then files.
Retract , noun
(Farriery) The pricking of a horse's foot in nailing on a shoe.