Retort

Noun

 * 1) A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator.
 * 2)  A flask with a rounded base and a long neck that is bent down and tapered, used to heat a liquid for distillation.
 * 1893, A large curved retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a two-litre measure. — Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘The Naval Treaty’ (Norton 2005, p.670)
 * 1) A container in which material is subjected to high temperatures as part of an industrial manufacturing process, especially during the smelting and forging of metal.

Verb

 * 1) To say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation.
 * 2) To make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator.
 * 3) To heat in a retort.

Adjectives for Retort
gruff; famous; skillful; impulsive; scornful; spirited; readiest; instant; severest; stinging.

Verbs for Retort
draw—; fire—; parry—; provoke—; —acknowledges; —appeases; —clinches; —con¬futes; —crushes; —defeats; —determines; —explains; —irks; —leaps to one's lips; — parries; —rebuts; —solves; —shatters; — silences; —verifies.

Adverbs for Retort
sharply; curtly; absurdly; shrewdly; effectively; acrimoniously; comically; resentfully; spiritedly; caustically; facetiously; scurrilously; waspishly; petulantly; gruffly; stingingly.

Thesaurus
acknowledge, acknowledgment, aerosol, alembic, answer, answer back, answering, antiphon, anvil, aphorism, apothegm, atomizer, back answer, back talk, backchat, backfire, bon mot, boomerang, boutade, bright idea, bright thought, brilliant idea, caldron, come back, come back at, come in, comeback, conceit, counter, counterattack, counterblast, counterblow, countercharge, counterfire, counterinsurgency, countermeasure, counterrevolution, counterstep, counterstroke, crack, crucible, defense, echo, engine, epigram, evaporator, evasive reply, exchange, facetiae, flash back, flash of wit, flight of wit, gag, get back at, gibe, give acknowledgment, give and take, give answer, give in exchange, give in return, give-and-take, happy thought, hit back at, interchange, jape, jest, joke, lathe, machine, melting pot, mortar, mot, motor, nasty crack, persiflage, play of wit, pleasantry, quip, quips and cranks, react, reaction, ready reply, rebut, rebuttal, receipt, reciprocate, reciprocation, recoil, recrimination, reecho, rejoin, rejoinder, repartee, replication, reply, repost, reprisal, rescript, rescription, respond, respondence, response, responsion, responsory, retaliate, retaliation, return, return answer, return for answer, revenge, reverberate, reverberation, riposte, sally, say, say in reply, scintillation, shoot back, short answer, smart crack, smart saying, snappy comeback, spray, still, strike back, stroke of wit, talk back, test tube, transducer, transformer, turn of thought, vaporizer, wisecrack, witticism, witty reply, witty retort, yes-and-no answer

Etymology
Latin retorquere 'twist back'; re-: + -tort:

Noun

 * Danish: replik
 * Finnish: sivallus
 * French :, ,
 * Finnish: sivallus
 * French :, ,


 * Ido:
 * Polish:
 * Spanish:
 * Polish:
 * Spanish:
 * Spanish:


 * Catalan: retorta
 * Czech: křivule
 * Danish:, destillerkolbe
 * Finnish:


 * Ido:
 * Polish: retorta
 * Spanish:

Verb

 * Finnish:


 * Polish:

Anagrams

 * rotter