Etymology

recoil

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Today it means: A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking. Full definition →

First used 16th c.Old French reculer
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The story

  1. Old French · derived fromreculer
  2. English todayrecoil

From Old French reculer. Further from Latin re- + cūlus.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 16th c. To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment.
  • from 14th c. To recoil before an opponent.
  • 15th–18th c. To retire, withdraw.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.