retort - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

What's a retort? It's a reply that's short. "Why did the monkey fall out of the tree; please give me a report?" I said "The monkey's dead," with a dry retort.

Today retort is used as both a noun and a verb, and both come from 16th- and 17th-century sources meaning "to twist, turn back." A retort is a comeback or a quick and clever answer or remark. It can be a form of payback when someone tries to insult or tease another person, and often, a perfect retort doesn't occur to you till later, when you think "Oh! I wish I had said that earlier!"

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: retort

1	n v	a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one) answer back
2	n	a vessel where substances are distilled or decomposed by heat

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: retort

1

n a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)

Synonyms:: comeback, counter, rejoinder, replication, return, riposte

Types:: back talk, backtalk, lip, mouth, sass, sassing
an impudent or insolent rejoinder

Type of:: reply, response
the speech act of continuing a conversational exchange

v answer back

Synonyms:: come back, rejoin, repay, return, riposte

Type of:: answer, reply, respond
react verbally

2

n a vessel where substances are distilled or decomposed by heat

Types:: alembic
an obsolete kind of container used for distillation; two retorts connected by a tube

Type of:: vessel
an object used as a container (especially for liquids)