I. Lit., of place, backwards, back; on the back side, behind.
a. Denoting tendency, direction, with verbs or nouns of motion: “multa videbis retro repulsa revorti,” Lucr. 2, 130; so very often with redire, regredi, repetere, remittere, respicere, reverti, revocare, etc., v. h. vv., and cf. Drak. ad Liv. 22, 6, 7, and 27, 28, 6: “vestigia retro sequor,” Verg. A. 2, 753; 9, 392; 11, 405: “dare lintea retro,” id. ib. 3, 686: “ora retro Flectit,” Ov. M. 15, 685: “retro inhibitā nave,” Liv. 30, 10 et saep.: iter mihi retro ad Alpes versus incidit, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 15, 2; cf.: “fugam retro spectante milite,” Liv. 8, 19: “fugit retro,” Hor. C. 2, 11, 5: “ne currente retro funis eat rotā,” id. ib. 3, 10, 10: “meretrix retro Perjura cedit,” id. ib. 1, 35, 25: “retro properare,” Ov. H. 5, 31: “unde ad hunc orbem redii, unde retro nemo,” Sen. Herc. Oet. 48.—
b. Denoting rest (rare): “est mihi in ultimis conclave aedibus quoddam retro,” Ter. Heaut. 5, 1, 29: “quid retro atque a tergo fieret, ne laboraret,” Cic. Div. 1, 24, 49: “perculsis nullum retro subsidium foret,” Tac. H. 2, 26: “retro Marsigni, etc.,” id. G. 43: “MEMORIAM SE VIVA FECIT SIBI ... CVM AEDICVLIS ANTE ET A RETRO,” Inscr. Orell. 4512.—
II. Trop.
A. Of time, back; in time back, in past times, before, formerly: “et deinceps retro usque ad Romulum,” Cic. Rep. 1, 37, 58; cf.: “SVPER OMNES RETRO PRINCIPES FORTISSIMO IMP. CAES., etc.,” Inscr. Orell. 1049; “and so, OMNES RETRO PRINCIPES,” ib. 1098: “quodcumque retro est,” is past, Hor. C. 3, 29, 46: “praemissa retro nobilitas,” Stat. S. 1, 4, 68; Traj. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 118 (120): “cujus vim si retro quoque velimus custodire (opp. in futurum),” id. ib. 10, 115 (116) fin.: “meliorum retro principum ( = superiorum),” Lampr. Alex. Sev. 34: “cum id ab aliis retro factum recordarer,” Tert. Uxor. 2, 2: “Hebraei retro, qui nunc Judaei,” id. Apol. 18.—
B. In other relations, back, behind, in return, on the contrary, on the other hand, vice versa: “ab imā (voce) ad summam ac retro multi sunt gradus,” Quint. 11, 3, 15: “ut omnia, quae sine eā (honestate) sint, longe retro ponenda censeat,” Cic. Tusc. 5, 31, 87: “rursum versus retroque,” id. Part. 7, 24; cf.: “vide rursus retro,” id. Fin. 5, 28, 83: sic omnia fatis In pejus ruere, ac retro sublapsa referri, i. e. against one's efforts or wish, Verg. G. 1, 200; cf.: “retro vivere,” Sen. Ep. 122 fin.: “si malum perfidia, non est fallendum. Idem retro,” Quint. 5, 10, 74: “fructus hominis in operis consistit et retro in fructu hominis operae sunt,” Dig. 7, 7, 4; cf. ib. 46, 1, 21; 46, 3, 67 et saep.?*! The words containing retro in composition (except retroversus and retrorsus) are post-Aug.; they are sometimes written separately.
