1
- reporting verb say something in answer to a remark or accusation, typically in a sharp, angry, or wittily incisive manner反驳; 回嘴：
with direct speech 'No need to be rude,' retorted Isabel“用不着动粗,"伊莎贝尔反驳说
with clause he retorted that this was nonsense他回嘴说这是胡说八道
no obj. I resisted the urge to retort.我真想反驳几句, 但我忍住了。
2
- with obj. archaic repay (an insult or injury)〈古〉对（侮辱, 伤害）进行报复：
it was now his time to retort the humiliation.
现在是他报复人家侮辱的时候了。
2.1
- turn (an insult or accusation) back on the person who has issued it对侮辱者或指控者反过来进行（侮辱或指控）：
he was resolute to retort the charge of treason on his foes.
他决心反过来控告他的反对者犯有叛国罪。
2.2
- use (an opponent's argument) against them利用（对方的论据）反驳对方：
the answer they make to us may very easily be retorted.
他们对我们的回答很容易被我们用来反驳他们。
- a sharp, angry, or wittily incisive reply to a remark（严厉、愤怒或机智的）反驳：
she opened her mouth to make a suitably cutting retort.
她开口讲话, 做出了恰到好处的尖锐反驳。
词源
late 15th cent. （in the sense 'hurl back (an accusation or insult)'）： from Latin retort- 'twisted back, cast back', from the verb retorquere, from re- 'in return' + torquere 'to twist'.
1
- a container or furnace for carrying out a chemical process on a large or industrial scale蒸馏罐; 干馏釜。
1.1
- historical a glass container with a long neck, used in distilling liquids and other chemical operations〈史〉曲颈甑, 蒸馏甑。
with obj.
- heat in a retort in order to separate or purify蒸馏; 干馏：
the raw shale is retorted at four crude oil works.
原料油页岩在四个原油厂被蒸馏。
词源
early 17th cent.: from French retorte, from medieval Latin retorta, feminine past participle of retorquere 'twist back' (with reference to the long recurved neck of the laboratory container).