RETORT

Retort

In a chemistry laboratory, a retort is a glassware device used for distillation or dry distillation of substances. It consists of a spherical vessel with a long downward-pointing neck. The liquid to be distilled is placed in the vessel and heated. The neck acts as a condenser, allowing the vapors to condense and flow along the neck to a collection vessel placed underneath.

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retort

Noun

  1. A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback.

Noun (etymology 2)

  1. 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)
  2. 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; to return, as an argument, accusation, censure, or incivility.
    to retort the charge of vanity
  3. To bend or curve back.
    a retorted line
  4. To throw back; to reverberate; to reflect.

Verb (etymology 2)

  1. To heat in a retort.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: retort
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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