# retch

Pronunciation: US say "RECH" /ɹɛt͡ʃ/; UK

## Verb

1. To make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; to strain or spasm as if vomiting without bringing anything up.
   - Simple: To strain and gag as if going to throw up, but without anything coming out.
   - _The stench from the alley was strong enough to make anyone retch._
   - _He retched several painful, empty spasms before the nausea finally passed._
2. To vomit; to bring up the contents of the stomach through the mouth.
   - Simple: To throw up food or liquid from your stomach through your mouth.
   - _After the rough boat ride, several passengers leaned over the rail to retch._
   - _She retched the last of the spoiled fish into the bucket._
4. Alternative form of reach. Dialectal; in standard English retch means to try to vomit. *(dialectal)* — Alternative form of reach.
   - Simple: Another way of saying reach. It is dialect only, since retch usually means to almost throw up.

## Noun

3. An unsuccessful effort to vomit; a strain or spasm that brings nothing up.
   - Simple: A failed try to throw up, when your body strains but nothing comes out.
   - _A sudden retch shook her whole body, though nothing came up._
   - _The patient's repeated retches alarmed the nurse on duty._

## Verb

5. A spelling of reck, meaning to care, or to take notice of something and heed it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To care about something or pay attention to it.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3** — From Middle English recchen, from Old English hrǣċan ("to clear the throat, hawk, spit"), going back through Proto-Germanic *hrēkijaną ("to clear one's throat") to Proto-Indo-European *kreg- ("to caw, crow"). It is cognate with Icelandic hrækja ("to hawk, spit") and German recken ("to retch, gag").
**Meaning 5** — From Middle English recchen ("to care; heed"), from Old English rēċċan, a variant of rēċan ("to care; reck"), from Proto-Germanic *rōkijaną ("to care"), from Proto-Indo-European *reǵ- ("straight, right, just").
**Meaning 4** — From Middle English recchen, from Old English reċċan ("to stretch, extend"), from Proto-West Germanic *rakkjan and Proto-Germanic *rakjaną ("to straighten, stretch"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃roǵéyeti.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/retch (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).