recoil
1. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature, or of the blood.
2. The state or condition of having recoiled. The recoil from formalism is skepticism. (F. W. Robertson)
3. Specifically, the reaction or rebounding of a firearm when discharged. Recoil dynamometer, an instrument for measuring the force of the recoil of a firearm. Recoil escapement See the note under Escapement.
1. To start, roll, bound, spring, or fall back; to take a reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to return. Evil on itself shall back recoil. (milton) The solemnity of her demeanor made it impossible . . . That we should recoil into our ordinary spirits. (De Quincey)
2. To draw back, as from anything repugnant, distressing, alarming, or the like; to shrink.
3. To turn or go back; to withdraw one’s self; to retire. To your bowers recoil.
Origin: OE. Recoilen, F. Reculer, fr. L. Pref. Re- re- – culus the fundament. The English word was perhaps influenced in form by accoil.
Dictionary > Recoil
You will also like...

Pollution in Freshwater Ecosystems
There are many environmental factors that arise due to the usage of water in one way or another and for every action tha..

Seed Plants
Seed plants are vascular plants. They differ from the other vascular plants in producing seeds that germinate into a new..

Indicator Species and Endangered Species
Certain species are capable of expressing characteristics indicative of the state of the ecosystem they occupy. They are..

Amphibians & Early Reptiles
Obtaining air outside an aquatic environment required species to acquire suitable adaptations, and this was the case of ..

Regulation of Biological Systems
Regulation of Biological Systems tutorials are focused on the modulation of biological systems from cell to population l..

Lotic Communities & Algae
Lotic communities have conditions that are rather harsh for typical plants. Thus, the diversity of plant species in loti..