English
retortable
From retort + -able.
Formed from retort + -able
Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- ‘to turn, spin’
…
Latin torqueō ‘twist’
Latin retorqueō ‘to be forced to twist back’
Latin retortus ‘twisted, turned, bent’
Middle English retorte
English retort
Today it means
adj To which one may produce a counterargument; answerable.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / retortable