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re·tain 
Audio Help [ri-teyn] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [ri-teyn] Pronunciation Key –verb (used with object)
| 1. | to keep possession of. |
| 2. | to continue to use, practice, etc.: to retain an old custom. |
| 3. | to continue to hold or have: to retain a prisoner in custody; a cloth that retains its color. |
| 4. | to keep in mind; remember. |
| 5. | to hold in place or position. |
| 6. | to engage, esp. by payment of a preliminary fee: to retain a lawyer. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME reteinen < OF retenir < L retinére to hold back, hold fast, equiv. to re- re- + -tinére, comb. form of tenére to hold]
] —Related forms
re·tain·a·ble, adjective
re·tain·a·bil·i·ty, re·tain·a·ble·ness, noun
re·tain·ment, noun
—Antonyms 1. loose, lose. 4. forget.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Retain
To learn more about Retain visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| re·tain
Audio Help (rĭ-tān') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. re·tained, re·tain·ing, re·tains
[Middle English retainen, from Old French retenir, from Latin retinēre : re-, re- + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.] re·tain'a·bil'i·ty n., re·tain'a·ble adj., re·tain'ment n. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
retain
c.1386, from O.Fr. retenir, from L. retinere "hold back," from re- "back" + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Meaning "keep (another) attached to one's person, keep in service" is from 1450; specifically of lawyers, 1548.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| retain | |
verb | |
| 1. | hold back within; "This soil retains water"; "I retain this drug for a long time"; "the dam retains the water" |
| 2. | allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature; "We cannot continue several servants any longer"; "She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long as we could"; "She retained her composure"; "this garment retains its shape even after many washings" |
| 3. | secure and keep for possible future use or application; "The landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right to disagree" |
| 4. | keep in one's mind; "I cannot retain so much information" |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
retain1 [rəˈtein] verb
to continue to have, use, remember etc; to keep in one's possession, memory etc
Example: He finds it difficult to retain information; These dishes don't retain heat very well.
retain2 [rəˈtein] verbExample: He finds it difficult to retain information; These dishes don't retain heat very well.
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to hold (something) back or keep (something) in its place
Example: This wall was built to retain the water from the river in order to prevent flooding.
Example: This wall was built to retain the water from the river in order to prevent flooding.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Retain
Keep\ (k[=e]p), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Kept; p. pr. & vb. n. Keeping.] [OE. k?pen, AS. c?pan to keep, regard, desire, await, take, betake; cf. AS. copenere lover, OE. copnien to desire.]1. To care; to desire. [Obs.] I kepe not of armes for to yelp [boast]. --Chaucer. 2. To hold; to restrain from departure or removal; not to let go of; to retain in one's power or possession; not to lose; to retain; to detain. If we lose the field, We can not keep the town. --Shak. That I may know what keeps me here with you. --Dryden. If we would weigh and keep in our minds what we are considering, that would instruct us. --Locke. 3. To cause to remain in a given situation or condition; to maintain unchanged; to hold or preserve in any state or tenor. His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal. --Milton. Keep a stiff rein, and move but gently on. --Addison. Note: In this sense it is often used with prepositions and adverbs, as to keep away, to keep down, to keep from, to keep in, out, or off, etc. "To keep off impertinence and solicitation from his superior." --Addison. 4. To have in custody; to have in some place for preservation; to take charge of. The crown of Stephanus, first king of Hungary, was always kept in the castle of Vicegrade. --Knolles. 5. To preserve from danger, harm, or loss; to guard. Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee. --Gen. xxviii. 15. 6. To preserve from discovery or publicity; not to communicate, reveal, or betray, as a secret. Great are thy virtues . . . though kept from man. --Milton. 7. To attend upon; to have the care of; to tend. And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it. --Gen. ii. 15. In her girlish age, she kept sheep on the moor. --Carew. 8. To record transactions, accounts, or events in; as, to keep books, a journal, etc.; also, to enter (as accounts, records, etc. ) in a book. 9. To maintain, as an establishment, institution, or the like; to conduct; to manage; as, to keep store. Like a pedant that keeps a school. --Shak. Every one of them kept house by himself. --Hayward. 10. To supply with necessaries of life; to entertain; as, to keep boarders. 11. To have in one's service; to have and maintain, as an assistant, a servant, a mistress, a horse, etc. I keep but three men and a boy. --Shak. 12. To have habitually in stock for sale. 13. To continue in, as a course or mode of action; not to intermit or fall from; to hold to; to maintain; as, to keep silence; to keep one's word; to keep possession. Both day and night did we keep company. --Shak. Within this portal as I kept my watch. --Smollett. 14. To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; not to swerve from or violate; to practice or perform, as duty; not to neglect; to be faithful to. I have kept the faith. --2 Tim. iv. 7. Him whom to love is to obey, and keep His great command. --Milton. 15. To confine one's self to; not to quit; to remain in; as, to keep one's house, room, bed, etc.; hence, to haunt; to frequent. --Shak. 'Tis hallowed ground; Fairies, and fawns, and satyrs do it keep. --J. Fletcher. 16. To observe duty, as a festival, etc.; to celebrate; to solemnize; as, to keep a feast. I went with them to the house of God . . . with a multitude that kept holyday. --Ps. xlii. 4. To keep at arm's length. See under Arm, n. To keep back. (a) To reserve; to withhold. "I will keep nothing back from you." --Jer. xlii. 4. (b) To restrain; to hold back. "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins." --Ps. xix. 13. To keep company with. (a) To frequent the society of; to associate with; as, let youth keep company with the wise and good. (b) To accompany; to go with; as, to keep company with one on a voyage; also, to pay court to, or accept attentions from, with a view to marriage. [Colloq.] To keep counsel. See under Counsel, n. To keep down. (a) To hold in subjection; to restrain; to hinder. (b) (Fine Arts) To subdue in tint or tone, as a portion of a picture, so that the spectator's attention may not be diverted from the more important parts of the work. To keep good (or bad) hours, to be customarily early (or late) in returning home or in retiring to rest. -- To keep house. (a) To occupy a separate house or establishment, as with one's family, as distinguished from boarding; to manage domestic affairs. (b) (Eng. Bankrupt Law) To seclude one's self in one's house in order to evade the demands of creditors. -- To keep one's hand in, to keep in practice. -- To keep open house, to be hospitable. -- To keep the peace (Law), to avoid or to prevent a breach of the peace. -- To keep school, to govern, manage and instruct or teach a school, as a preceptor. -- To keep a stiff upper lip, to keep up one's courage. [Slang] -- To keep term. (a) (Eng. Universities) To reside during a term. (b) (Inns of Court) To eat a sufficient number of dinners in hall to make the term count for the purpose of being called to the bar. [Eng.] --Mozley & W. To keep touch. See under Touch, n. To keep under, to hold in subjection; hence, to oppress. To keep up. (a) To maintain; to prevent from falling or diminution; as, to keep up the price of goods; to keep up one's credit. (b) To maintain; to continue; to prevent from ceasing. "In joy, that which keeps up the action is the desire to continue it." --Locke. Syn: To retain; detain; reserve; preserve; hold; restrain; maintain; sustain; support; withhold. -- To Keep. Usage: Retain, Preserve. Keep is the generic term, and is often used where retain or preserve would too much restrict the meaning; as, to keep silence, etc. Retain denotes that we keep or hold things, as against influences which might deprive us of them, or reasons which might lead us to give them up; as, to retain vivacity in old age; to retain counsel in a lawsuit; to retain one's servant after a reverse of fortune. Preserve denotes that we keep a thing against agencies which might lead to its being destroyed or broken in upon; as, to preserve one's health; to preserve appearances.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Retain
Rein\ (r?n), n. [F. r[^e]ne, fr. (assumed) LL. retina, fr. L. retinere to hold back. See Retain.]1. The strap of a bridle, fastened to the curb or snaffle on each side, by which the rider or driver governs the horse. This knight laid hold upon his reyne. --Chaucer. 2. Hence, an instrument or means of curbing, restraining, or governing; government; restraint. "Let their eyes rove without rein." --Milton. To give rein, To give the rein to, to give license to; to leave withouut restrain. To take the reins, to take the guidance or government; to assume control.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
RETAIN
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