'retract' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'retractare,' where 're-' meant 'back' and 'tractare' meant 'to draw or pull.'

'retractare' transformed into the Old French word 'retracter,' and eventually became the modern English word 'retract' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to draw back or withdraw,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.