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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Age of the tide

Retard \Re*tard"\, n.

  1. Retardation; delay.

  2. A mentally retarded person. [Colloq. and disparaging]

  3. a person who is stupid or inept, especially in social situations. [Colloq. and disparaging]

    Retard of the tide, or Age of the tide, the interval between the transit of the moon at which a tide originates and the appearance of the tide itself. It is found, in general, that any particular tide is not principally due to the moon's transit immediately proceeding, but to a transit which has occured some time before, and which is said to correspond to it. The retard of the tide is thus distinguished from the lunitidal interval. See under Retardation.
    --Ham. Nav. Encyc.