re-coil: Meaning and Definition of

re-coil

Pronunciation: (rē-koil'), [key]
— v.t., v.i.
  1. to coil again.

re•coil

Pronunciation: (v.ri-koil'n.rē'koil&sec, ri-koil'), [key]
— v.i.
  1. to draw back; start or shrink back, as in alarm, horror, or disgust.
  2. to spring or fly back, as in consequence of force of impact or the force of the discharge, as a firearm.
  3. to spring or come back; react (usually fol. by on or upon): Plots frequently recoil upon the plotters.
  4. (of an atom, a nucleus, or a particle) to undergo a change in momentum as a result either of a collision with an atom, a nucleus, or a particle or of the emission of a particle.
—n.
  1. an act of recoiling.
  2. the distance through which a weapon moves backward after discharging.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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