retrieval

Universal Words noun [U] 1 (formal) the process of getting sth back, especially from a place where it should not be: The ship was buried, beyond retrieval, at the bottom of the sea. * (figurative) By then the situation was beyond retrieval (= impossible to put right). 2 (computing) the process of getting back information that is stored on a computer: methods of information retrieval * retrieval programs / skills / systems