retard

Noun · Verb

Synonyms: idiot imbecile cretin moron changeling half-wit check delay decelerate slow slow down slow up

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

a person of subnormal intelligenceSynonyms: idiot imbecile cretin moron changeling half-wit

Verb (4)

cause to move more slowly or operate at a slower rate“This drug will retard your heart rate”
be delayed
slow the growth or development of“The brain damage will retard the child's language development”Synonyms: check delay
lose velocity; move more slowly“The car decelerated”Synonyms: decelerate slow slow down slow up

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Retard \Re*tard"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Retarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Retarding.] [L. retardare, retardatum; pref. re- re- + tardare to make slow, to delay, fr. tardus slow: cf. F. retarder. See Tardy.]

1.To keep delaying; to continue to hinder; to prevent from progress; to render more slow in progress; to impede; to hinder; as, to retard the march of an army; to retard the motion of a ship; -- opposed to accelerate. [1913 Webster]

2.To put off; to postpone; as, to retard the attacks of old age; to retard a rupture between nations. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To impede; hinder; obstruct; detain; delay; procrastinate; postpone; defer. [1913 Webster]

Retard \Re*tard"\, v. i. To stay back. [Obs.] --Sir. T. Browne. [1913 Webster]

Retard \Re*tard"\, n.

1.Retardation; delay. [1913 Webster]

2.A mentally retarded person. [Colloq. and disparaging] [PJC]

3.a person who is stupid or inept, especially in social situations. [Colloq. and disparaging] [PJC]

Retard of the tide, or Age of the tide, the interval between the transit of the moon at which a tide originates and the appearance of the tide itself. It is found, in general, that any particular tide is not principally due to the moon's transit immediately proceeding, but to a transit which has occured some time before, and which is said to correspond to it. The retard of the tide is thus distinguished from the lunitidal interval. See under Retardation. --Ham. Nav. Encyc. [1913 Webster]