retain

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈteɪn/
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• General-American: /ɹəˈteɪn/
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• General-American: /ɹi-/
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -eɪn
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• CMU ARPABET: R IH0 T EY1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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• CMU ARPABET 2: R IY0 T EY1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Partly: * from Middle English retein, retain (“possession of a sum of money”) [...]; and * from the verb (see etymology 1).

From Late Middle English reteinen, retein (“to continue to keep, retain; to continue to possess; to possess; to contain; to draw back, retire; to hold back, restrain; to keep in mind, remember; to take back, repossess; to appoint; to engage in one’s service, employ, hire”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman reteiner, retenir [and other forms], Middle French retenir, and Old French retenir (“to keep back, retain; to keep, maintain, preserve; to possess; to engage in one’s service, employ; to detain; to hold back, restrain; to remember”) (modern French retenir), from Vulgar Latin *retinīre, from Latin retinēre, the present active infinitive of retineō (“to keep or hold back, detain, retain; to hold in check, stop; to hold fast, maintain; to keep in mind, remember”) (compare Late Latin retineō (“to keep engaged in one’s service”)), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + teneō (“to grasp, hold; to hold fast, restrain; to possess; to keep in mind, remember”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to extend, stretch”)). Etymology 1 sense 1.10 (“to declare (a sin) not forgiven”) is derived from John 20:23 in the Bible, in Late Latin quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt, and in Koine Greek ἄν τινων κρατῆτε, κεκράτηνται: see the 1526 quotation. Cognates * Catalan retenir * Italian retenere (obsolete), ritenere * Portuguese reter * Spanish retener

82 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Chinese Mandarin: 留班 (liúbān) — To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year
• Chinese Mandarin: 留級 /留级 (liújí) — To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year
• Finnish: jättää luokalle — To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year
• German: sitzen bleiben — To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year
• Macedonian: за́држи (zádrži) — To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year
• Bulgarian: задържам (zadǎržam) — to hold back (tissue or a substance, especially urine) in the body or a body organ
• Finnish: pidättää — to hold back (tissue or a substance, especially urine) in the body or a body organ
• Finnish: kestää — to hold back (tissue or a substance, especially urine) in the body or a body organ
• Bulgarian: задържам (zadǎržam) — to hold (something) secure; to prevent (something) from becoming detached or separated
• Esperanto: konservi — to hold (something) secure; to prevent (something) from becoming detached or separated
• Finnish: pitää (kiinni) — to hold (something) secure; to prevent (something) from becoming detached or separated
• German: festhalten — to hold (something) secure; to prevent (something) from becoming detached or separated
• Ancient Greek: διασῴζομαι (diasōízomai) — to hold (something) secure; to prevent (something) from becoming detached or separated
• Arabic: أَبْقَى (ʔabqā) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Arabic: أَدَامَ (ʔadāma) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Arabic: بَقَّى (baqqā) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Arabic: حَفِظَ (ḥafiẓa) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Arabic: رَعَى (raʕā) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Arabic: صانَ (ṣāna) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Arabic: اِحْتَفَظَ (iḥtafaẓa) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Bulgarian: запазвам (zapazvam) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Bulgarian: съхранявам (sǎhranjavam) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Czech: ponechat si — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Czech: uchovat si — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Dutch: behouden — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Esperanto: reteni — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Finnish: pitää — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Finnish: säilyttää — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• French: retenir — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• French: conserver — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• French: maintenir — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Georgian: ინარჩუნებს (inarčunebs) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Georgian: ინახავს (inaxavs) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• German: behalten — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (gahaban) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Hungarian: megtart — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Irish: coinnigh — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Italian: conservare — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Italian: mantenere — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Latin: habeo — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Latin: teneo — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Māori: whakauenuku — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Māori: whakapupuri — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Norwegian: få — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Norwegian: motta — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Old English: æthabban — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Portuguese: reter — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Romanian: reține — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Russian: храни́ть (xranítʹ) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Russian: сохраня́ть (soxranjátʹ) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Russian: сохрани́ть (soxranítʹ) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Russian: оставля́ть (ostavljátʹ) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Russian: оста́вить (ostávitʹ) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Spanish: retener — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Spanish: detentar (illegitimately) — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Swedish: få — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Swedish: bevara — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Turkish: alıkoymak — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Turkish: tutmak — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Turkish: unutmamak — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Turkish: kaybetmemek — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Turkish: elinden kaçırmamak — to keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something)
• Finnish: pitää palkattuna — to employ (someone, especially a lawyer) by paying a retainer; to engage (a barrister) by making an initial payment to secure their services if needed
• Macedonian: на́јми (nájmi) — to employ (someone, especially a lawyer) by paying a retainer; to engage (a barrister) by making an initial payment to secure their services if needed
• Russian: нанима́ть (nanimátʹ) — to employ (someone, especially a lawyer) by paying a retainer; to engage (a barrister) by making an initial payment to secure their services if needed
• Bulgarian: наемам (naemam) — to keep (someone) in one’s pay or service; (chiefly historical) to maintain (someone) as a dependent or follower
• Bulgarian: ангажирам (angažiram) — to keep (someone) in one’s pay or service; (chiefly historical) to maintain (someone) as a dependent or follower
• Chinese Mandarin: 豢養 /豢养 (huànyǎng) — to keep (someone) in one’s pay or service; (chiefly historical) to maintain (someone) as a dependent or follower
• Chinese Mandarin: 蓄養 /蓄养 (xùyǎng) — to keep (someone) in one’s pay or service; (chiefly historical) to maintain (someone) as a dependent or follower
• Finnish: pitää palveluksessaan — to keep (someone) in one’s pay or service; (chiefly historical) to maintain (someone) as a dependent or follower
• Turkish: tutmak — to keep (someone) in one’s pay or service; (chiefly historical) to maintain (someone) as a dependent or follower
• Bulgarian: въздържам се (vǎzdǎržam se) — to control or restrain (oneself); to exercise self-control over (oneself)
• Finnish: hillitä — to control or restrain (oneself); to exercise self-control over (oneself)
• Bulgarian: задържам (zadǎržam) — to keep (someone) in custody; to prevent (someone) from leaving
• Finnish: pitää — to keep (someone) in custody; to prevent (someone) from leaving
• Spanish: retener — to keep (someone) in custody; to prevent (someone) from leaving
• Finnish: pidättää — to declare (a sin) not forgiven
• Bulgarian: държа (dǎrža) — to keep in control or possession; to continue having
• Finnish: pitää — to keep in control or possession; to continue having
• Finnish: muistaa — to have the ability to keep something in the mind
• Finnish: pitää mielessä — to have the ability to keep something in the mind
• Finnish: pidättää — of a body or body organ: to hold back tissue or a substance