Retardationen

Retardation is the act or process of delaying something or the state of being delayed. The term derives from Latin retardare, to slow. It is used across disciplines to denote a slower rate of change or a delayed effect, and its precise meaning varies with context.

In physics and engineering, retardation can mean deceleration, i.e., a negative acceleration. In electromagnetism, the idea of retarded potentials describes fields calculated using source configurations at earlier times, accounting for the finite speed of light.

In music theory, retardation (retardation) is a type of non-chord tone where a diatonic step leads to a chord tone by resolving upward, creating a temporary delay before the harmony resolves.

In medicine and developmental biology, "retardation" has been used historically to refer to developmental delay or intellectual disability; current practice prefers terms such as intellectual disability or developmental delay. In obstetrics, fetal growth retardation is now commonly termed intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), describing restricted fetal growth even in a normal pregnancy.

In other contexts, "growth retardation" may describe reduced growth in plants or animals due to nutritional or environmental factors. The term remains in use in many legal and historical texts, but modern usage aims for non-stigmatizing language.