from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Return \Re*turn"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Returned}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Returning}.] [OE. returnen, retournen, F. retourner;
pref. re- re- + tourner to turn. See {Turn}.]
1. To turn back; to go or come again to the same place or
condition. "Return to your father's house." --Chaucer.
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On their embattled ranks the waves return. --Milton.
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If they returned out of bondage, it must be into a
state of freedom. --Locke.
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Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
--Gen. iii.
19.
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2. To come back, or begin again, after an interval, regular
or irregular; to appear again.
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With the year
Seasons return; but not me returns
Day or the sweet approach of even or morn. --Milton.
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3. To speak in answer; to reply; to respond.
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He said, and thus the queen of heaven returned.
--Pope.
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4. To revert; to pass back into possession.
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And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the
kingdom return to the house of David. --1Kings xii.
26.
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5. To go back in thought, narration, or argument. "But to
return to my story." --Fielding.
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