What does retard actually mean?

Answer 1

"Retard" is a form of the French word "tard" which means "late".

"Elle est toujours en retard" translates to "she is always late". "Retard" is more commonly used when one would mean in English, "not on time".

"Tard" would be used to describe most other things, such as the time of day.

"C'est tard, n'est-ce pas?" means, "It's late, isn't it?".

Answer 2

To retard can mean to delay or slow down. It is an offensive word for a foolish person.