resile

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It's May! Or is it "might"? Settle the dispute with our
Concise Dictionary of English Usage.
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The Word of the Day for May 9 is: 

resile   \rih-ZYLE\   verb
     : recoil, retract; especially : to return to a prior position 

Example sentence:
     The politician said he was sorry that his comments had caused offense, but 
he stopped short of resiling from his position.

Did you know?
     "Resile" is a resilient word; it's been around in English since at least 
1529. It's also a cousin of "resilient" -- both words derive from the Latin 
verb "resilire," which means to "jump back" or "recoil." ("Resilire" in turn 
comes from "salire," meaning "to jump.") "Resilient" focuses on the ability of 
something to "bounce back" from damage, whereas "resile" generally applies to 
someone or something that withdraws from an agreement or "jumps back" from a 
stated position. "Resile" is a word that shows up only occasionally in U.S. 
sources; it is more common in British and especially Australian English.