retch

• IPA^(key): /ɹɛtʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɛtʃ
• Homophone: wretch

From Middle English *recchen, *rechen, from Old English hrǣċan (“to clear the throat, hawk, spit”), from Proto-Germanic *hrēkijaną (“to clear one's throat”), from Proto-Indo-European *kreg- (“to caw, crow”). Cognate with Icelandic hrækja (“to hawk, spit”), Limburgish räöke (“to induce vomiting”). Also related with German Rachen (“throat”).

• reach (archaic or dialectal)

retch (third-person singular simple present retches, present participle retching, simple past and past participle retched)

1. To make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; to strain, as in vomiting.
   • Byron

     Here he grew inarticulate with retching.

retch (plural retches)

1. An unsuccessful effort to vomit.

From Middle English recchen (“to care; heed”), from Old English rēċċan, variant of rēċan (“to care; reck”), from Proto-Germanic *rōkijaną (“to care”), from Proto-Indo-European *reǵ- (“straight, right, just”).

retch (third-person singular simple present retches, present participle retching, simple past and past participle retched)

1. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To reck

• retchless

From Middle English recchen, from Old English reċċan (“to stretch, extend”), from Proto-Germanic *rakjaną (“to straighten, stretch”).

retch (third-person singular simple present retches, present participle retching, simple past and past participle retched or (obsolete) raught)

1. (dialectal) to reach

• chert