Meanings
plural retrorockets · alternative retro rocket · alternative retro-rocket
- A small rocket engine on a larger rocket or spacecraft, designed to slow or reverse its motion.
At nine minutes and nine seconds after launch, the second stage separates, firing small retrorockets to help it back safely away from the remainder of the spacecraft.
2020, John Rocco, How We Got to the Moon, page 79Synonyms: retro
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small rocket engine on a larger rocket or spacecraft, designed to slow or reverse its motion.
Origin
- Proto-Italic*wre-
- Latinre-
- Latinretrō
- Englishretro-
- Old Italianrocchetto
- Italianrocchetta
- Englishrocket
- Englishretrorocket
Translations
Finnish jarruraketti
- jarrurakettirocket engine on a larger rocket or spacecraft designed to slow or reverse its motion
German Bremsrakete
- Bremsraketerocket engine on a larger rocket or spacecraft designed to slow or reverse its motion
Italian retrorazzo
- retrorazzorocket engine on a larger rocket or spacecraft designed to slow or reverse its motion
Cite this entry
retrorocket. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retrorocket
“retrorocket.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retrorocket. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “retrorocket,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retrorocket.
Source: retrorocket on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.