To moisten or soak in order to soften and separate the cannabis fibers from the woody tissue by partial rotting. This process is used on bast type plants like hemp. Bast type plants have a wood-like interior (the hurd) and a fibrous exterior (the bast).
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Retting is a textile process for separating the bast fibre in plants from the non-fibrous materials to create fibers that can be spun into yarn. The separation is primarily achieved through either a microbial or chemical action degradating the cementing compounds that bind the bast fibres to other plant tissues, allowing the fibers to be isolated. Retting can be used to create fibers from plants such as flax, hemp, nettles, ramie, bamboo, and jute.
English
Etymology
From ret + -ing.
Noun
retting (countable and uncountable, plural rettings)
- The act or process of preparing flax for use by soaking, maceration, and similar processes.
- (historical) A place where flax is retted; a rettery.
Synonyms
- (preparation of flax): rotting
Derived terms
Verb
retting
- present participle and gerund of ret
References
Andrew Ure (1839
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