recoil
/ˈɹiːkɔɪl/ noun, verb
Forms recoils recoiling recoiled recoyle
- noun A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking. “the recoil of nature, or of the blood”
- noun The state or condition of having recoiled.
- noun (firearms) The energy transmitted back to the shooter from a firearm which has fired. Recoil is a function of the weight of the weapon, the weight of the projectile, and the speed at which it leaves the muzzle.
- noun An escapement in which, after each beat, the scape-wheel recoils slightly.
- verb To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment. “He recoiled in disgust when he saw the mess.”
- verb (archaic) To recoil before an opponent.
- verb (weaponry) Of a firearm: to quickly push back when fired.
- verb (obsolete) To retire, withdraw.
Synonyms
kick repercussion rebound backlash flinch squinch funk cringe shrink wince quail backfire bounce resile take a hop spring bound reverberate ricochet kick back
Etymology
From Old French reculer. Further from Latin re- + cūlus.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To start, roll, bound, spring, or fall back; to take a reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to return.
- verb To draw back, as from anything repugnant, distressing, alarming, or the like; to shrink. Shak.
- verb To draw or go back. [Obs.] Spenser.
- noun A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature, or of the blood.
Etymology [OE. recoilen, F. reculer, fr. L. pref. re- re- + culus the fundament. The English word was perhaps influenced in form by accoil.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “recoil”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details