Etymology

retarded

R1E1T1A1R1D2E1D2

Today it means: Delayed; delayed in development, hindered; impeded. Full definition →

First used 17th c.English retard ← Middle English retarden ← Anglo-Norman retarder
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The story

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinre-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*terh₂-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*tr̥h₂dos
  5. Proto-Italic*tardos
  6. Latintardus
  7. Latinretardō
  8. Anglo-Normanretarder
  9. Middle Englishretarden
  10. Englishretard
  11. English todayretarded

From retard + -ed.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 17th c. Delayed; delayed in development, hindered; impeded.
  • from 19th c. Specifically, having an IQ below 70.
  • from 20th c. Extremely stupid; obtuse
  • from 20th c. Designating a parameter of an electromagnetic field which is adjusted to account for the finite speed of radiation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.