retain

/ɹɪˈteɪn/rih-TAYN

/ɹɪˈteɪn/rih-TAYN

Meaningto hold back

Common meaning: to keep

reagain; back
tainto hold, keep hold ofLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1853 · scan

‘again’ + ‘to hold, keep hold of’ → retain

Journey through time

Latinretinere‘to hold back’source
Frenchretenir‘to retain’source
Englishretain‘to keep’ · 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 teneō ‘to hold, keep hold of’.

Roots

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

Related words

abstain detain discontent discontinuation discontinue obtain pertinacious rein supercontinent sustain tenacious tenet

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