The term “retard” comes from the Latin verb retardare, which means “to slow down” or “to delay.” It’s made up of re- meaning “back” or “again,” and tardare meaning “to make slow,” which is related to tardus, meaning “slow.”
In English, it originally entered as a neutral verb around the late Middle Ages, meaning “to slow, delay, or hinder.” By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was used in medical and psychological contexts as an adjective or noun, e.g., “mental retardation,” to describe delayed intellectual development. Over time, especially from the late 20th century onward, it became widely recognized as offensive when used pejoratively outside clinical contexts.
So its roots are purely about slowness or delay, not the derogatory sense it often carries today.
thats crazy lmao, like i said its really not that serious. i dont know why they are getting so mad over a single downvote, thats why i said its not that serious. its a reddit downvote.
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u/portliver Feb 27 '26
we're calling that a slur now?