retrudere

Retrudere is a Latin verb meaning to push back, drive back, or repel an opponent. It conveys a sense of turning back an advance and resisting an assault, often with military overtones, but it can also be used in a figurative sense to describe restraining or opposing a course of action.

Etymology and form: the word is built from the prefix re- meaning back and trudere “to thrust” or “to push.” In usage, it functions as a standard Latin verb of the -ere group. Dictionaries typically list the principal parts as retrūdō, retrudere, retrudī, retrūsum.

Usage: retrudere is primarily found in military contexts, describing actions such as repelling a foe or forcing attackers to retreat. It may appear with a direct object (for example, a plural noun meaning “the enemies”) or in passive constructions to indicate that the subject is being driven back. Beyond battlefield descriptions, the term can take on a more metaphorical sense, denoting the act of refraining or pushing back an unwanted advance in a non-military setting.

Examples: legiones retrudunt hostes (The legions drive back the enemies); hostēs retruduntur (The enemies are driven back). In extended Latin usage, the verb retains its core sense of opposition to an advancing force and can appear in both prose and late antiquity texts.

Related terms: synonyms such as repellere and propellere convey similar notions of pushing away or repelling, while retrudere specifically emphasizes restoring a defensive or backward motion.