Etymology

retrograde

re·tro·grade
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Today it means: Directed or moving backwards in relation to the normal or previous direction of travel; retreating. Full definition →

Middle English retrograd ← Middle French retrograde ← Old French retrograde
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retrograde · adjective, adverb, noun1

  1. Latin · derived fromretrōgradus“of a celestial object: appearing to move backwards”
  2. Old French · derived fromretrograde“of a celestial object: appearing to move backwards; moving backwards; reverse; palindromic; opposed to change”
  3. Middle French · derived fromretrograde
  4. Middle English · inherited fromretrograd
  5. English todayretrograde

The adjective is derived from Middle English retrograd, retrograde (“of a planet: appearing to move in a direction opposite to the order of the zodiac signs, retrograde; unfortunate”), from Middle French retrograde and Old French retrograde (“of a celestial object: appearing to move backwards; moving backwards; reverse; palindromic; opposed to change”) (modern French rétrograde), and from their etymon Latin retrōgradus (“of a celestial object: appearing to move backwards”) (compare Late Latin retrōgradus (“reverse; palindromic”)), from retrō (“back, backwards; behind; before, formerly”) + gradus (“pace, step”). By surface analysis, retro- + -grade. The adverb and noun are derived from the adjective.

retrograde · verb2

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gʰredʰ-“to go; to walk”
  2. Latin · derived fromretrōgradī“to go or step back or backwards; of a celestial object: to show retrograde motion”
  3. Middle French · derived fromretrograder“to (cause to) go back, return; to (cause to) move backwards; of a celestial object: to show retrograde motion; to date to an earlier period”
  4. English todayretrograde

From Middle French retrograder (“to (cause to) go back, return; to (cause to) move backwards; of a celestial object: to show retrograde motion; to date to an earlier period”) (modern French rétrograder), and from its etymon Latin retrōgradī (“to go or step back or backwards; of a celestial object: to show retrograde motion”) (compare Late Latin retrogradare, retrogradari, retrogredere), from retrō (“back, backwards; behind; before, formerly”) + gradior (“to step, walk; to advance, go”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰredʰ- (“to go; to walk”)).

Words from the same roots

Proto-Indo-European*gʰredʰ- all →

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Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.