'retractable' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'retractabilis,' where 're-' meant 'back' and 'tractare' meant 'to draw or pull.'

'retractabilis' transformed into the French word 'rétractable,' and eventually became the modern English word 'retractable' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'capable of being drawn back,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.