To pull back or withdraw something, either physically or by taking back a statement or claim you previously made.
From Latin 'retractus,' meaning pulled back, from 'retrahere' combining 're-' (back) and 'trahere' (to pull). Used in English since the 1300s.
In science, when researchers retract a published paper due to fraud or error, it creates a permanent scarlet letter—the paper stays in databases marked as retracted, so fraudulent research actually becomes *more* visible and citable than if it had never existed.
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