Making violent gagging or vomiting motions, usually without actually bringing up food.
From Old English 'hræc' and Middle English 'rechen,' possibly imitative in origin (like 'heave'). The word has been used to describe dry heaving or the sound and motion of gagging since medieval times, though the exact etymology remains unclear.
Interestingly, retching is involuntary and protective — your body does it to clear your throat or airway — but unlike actual vomiting, nothing comes up; this distinction is so important that doctors have separate medical codes for retching versus vomiting, because they can signal different underlying problems.
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