retracted

Retracted is the past participle of retract and can function as an adjective or a verb form. It describes something that has been drawn back, withdrawn, or reversed from a previous position or statement. The sense is broadly used in everyday language and specialized contexts alike.

As a verb, to retract means to withdraw or pull back something that was previously extended, stated, or offered. Common uses include retracting a claim, retracting a statement or promise, and retraction of a product from the market. In mechanical or biological contexts, to retract can also mean to pull back a part of the body or an apparatus toward the body.

In anatomy and biology, retracted describes a body part that has been pulled backward toward the body. Examples include retracted lips, retracted shoulders, or retracted claws. The related noun is retraction, which names the action of pulling back or the resulting position.

In publishing and scholarship, a retraction is the formal withdrawal of a published paper or finding, typically due to errors, misconduct, or questions about data validity. A retracted article is usually marked as such and remains accessible for the record, but its conclusions are not considered reliable.

Etymology: retract is from Latin retractare, with re- meaning back and tractum meaning drawn. The term retracted thus conveys the notion of something being drawn back, either physically, verbally, or procedurally.