autoretardation
|au-to-re-tar-da-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊrɪˌtɑrˈdeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊrɪˌtɑːˈdeɪʃən/
self-caused slowing
Etymology
'autoretardation' is a modern English formation combining the prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self') with 'retardation' (from French/Latin roots) where 'retard-' meant 'to make slow'.
'retardation' comes from Old French 'retarder' and Latin 'retardare' ('re-' + 'tardare' meaning 'to make slow'); the compound 'autoretardation' is a later English coining using the Greek-derived prefix 'auto-' + the existing noun 'retardation'.
Initially, 'retardation' meant 'the act or effect of making slow'; through scientific usage the compounded form 'autoretardation' has come to denote specifically a self-induced slowing process observed in technical contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the phenomenon or process by which a reaction, process, or system slows down of its own accord over time, often due to accumulation of inhibitory products, depletion of reactants, or changes in system properties.
The cement paste showed significant autoretardation, extending the setting time beyond expectations.
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Noun 2
(specialized) In materials science and chemistry, a specific slowdown in reaction kinetics that arises from changes at interfaces or from products that inhibit further progress.
Autoretardation in polymerization can result from chain-transfer products that reduce active centers.
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Last updated: 2025/11/28 09:44