rein

/ˈɹeɪn/RAYN

/ˈɹeɪn/RAYN

Meaningto hold back

Common meaning: a strap for guiding a horse

reback, againSkeat, Concise Etymological Dictionary (1911), p. 440 · scan
into hold, keep hold ofLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1853 · scan

‘back, again’ + ‘to hold, keep hold of’ → rein

Journey through time

re — Latin re- “back, again” (path traced)
in — Latin teneō, tenuī, tentum “to hold, keep hold of” (path traced)

Parts join in Latin as retinere.

Latinre- + tenere‘back, again + to hold, keep hold of’source
Latinretineresource
Old Frenchreinesource
Middle Englishreinesource
Englishrein‘a strap for guiding a horse’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin retinere, which Skeat (Concise Dictionary, 1911) analyses as re- ‘back, again’ + tenere ‘to hold, keep hold of’.

Roots

retinere Latin “to hold back”
teneō, tenuī, tentum Latin “to hold, keep hold of”

Related words

detain discontent discontinuation discontinue obtain pertinacious supercontinent sustain

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