ret
ret — verb
- retpresent simple I / you / we / they
- rets3rd person singular
- retting-ing form
- rettedpast simple
1. to place the cut stems of flax, hemp, and other fiber-producing plants in water
to place the cut stems of flax, hemp, and other fiber-producing plants in water so that the woody parts break down and the usable fibers come free
Farmers along the river used to ret flax every autumn after the harvest.
ret + noun (flax) — typical object
The workers ret the hemp stalks in large concrete tanks filled with warm water.
ret + location (in water/tanks)
Before weaving, Meera would ret jute stems in a stream for up to three weeks.
Liang learned how to ret flax from his grandmother in their village.
The factory rets large amounts of hemp every month using temperature-controlled pools.
文法句型
ret + plant material (flax/hemp/jute)
用法筆記
Frequently used in passive or past-participle form: retted flax, retted hemp.
常見錯誤
2. (of plant stems such as flax, hemp, or jute) to soften and break down naturally
(of plant stems such as flax, hemp, or jute) to soften and break down naturally when left in water, allowing the fibers to be separated
Flax stems need to ret for two weeks before the fibers are ready.
plant material + ret + duration
If the hemp rets too long, the fibers grow weak and hard to use.
Tuan left the jute bundles in the pond and waited for them to ret properly.
The plant material rets much faster in warm, slow-moving water than in cold streams.
Those stalks are still too stiff — they have not retted enough yet.
文法句型
plant material + rets
用法筆記
Subject is always plant material (flax, hemp, jute, or general terms like stalks, stems, bundles). Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 has no direct object — the plant stems undergo the process naturally.
常見錯誤
ret — abbreviation
1. a written abbreviation for 'retired', placed after a person's name or former job
a written abbreviation for 'retired', placed after a person's name or former job title to show they are no longer working in that occupation
Her father is a ret. army officer who served for thirty years.
ret. + job title — placed before the rank
Prof. Kenji Tanaka, ret., still helps young researchers at the university.
ret. after a title, separated by comma
The envelope was addressed to Dr. Amina Diallo, ret., at her home in Dakar.
Captain Lee, ret., now runs a small fishing boat tour company.
The list of ret. teachers was posted on the school notice board.
用法筆記
Usually written with a period. Commonly seen after military ranks (Col. ret., Lt. ret.) or professional titles (Prof. ret.). Can appear before the job title ('ret. teacher') or after it with a comma ('teacher, ret.').