retroject

Mid 19th-century. Combination of retro- (“back”) +‎ (pro)ject.

• IPA^(key): /ˌɹɛtɹoʊˈd͡ʒɛkt/
• Rhymes: -ɛkt

retroject (third-person singular simple present retrojects, present participle retrojecting, simple past and past participle retrojected)

1. (transitive) To project into the past; to insert anachronistically into a historical reconstruction.
   • 2024, David Golinkin, “Naḥem On Tisha B'Av: Is It Permissible To Change The Wording?”, in Responsa in a Moment, volume 4, page 132:

     Rav Sa'adia probably wanted to retroject our prayers and blessings back to the time of the Prophets as part of his polemic with the Karaites who rejected the Oral Torah.

• “retroject”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “retroject”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.