• IPA: /ɹɛt͡ʃ/

From Middle English *recchen, *rechen (attested in arechen), hræcen, from Old English hrǣċan, from Proto-West Germanic *hrākijan, from Proto-Germanic *hrēkijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *kreg-.

retch (retches, present participle retching; simple past and past participle retched)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To make or experience an unsuccessful effort to vomit; to strain or spasm, as if to vomit; to gag or nearly vomit.
   • 1819–1824, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London, (please specify |canto=I to XVII):

     Here he grew inarticulate with retching.

2. (transitive, intransitive, loosely) To vomit; to make or experience a successful effort to vomit.

• German: würgen
• Italian: avere conati di vomito
• Portuguese: engulhar
• Russian: пыта́ться
• Spanish: tener arcadas

retch (plural retches)

1. An unsuccessful effort to vomit.

• French: haut-le-cœur
• Italian: conato, conato di vomito
• Portuguese: arranco
• Spanish: arcada

From Middle English recchen, from Old English rēċċan, variant of rēċan, from Proto-Germanic *rōkijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *reǵ-.

retch (retches, present participle retching; simple past and past participle retched)

1. (ambitransitive, obsolete) To reck.

• retchless

From Middle English recchen, from Old English reċċan, from Proto-West Germanic *rakkjan, from Proto-Germanic *rakjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃roǵéyeti.

retch (retches, present participle retching; simple past and past participle retched)

1. (dialectal) Alternative form of reach