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detain

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de⋅tain

  [di-teyn]
Use detain in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to keep from proceeding; keep waiting; delay.
2. to keep under restraint or in custody.
3. Obsolete. to keep back or withhold, as from a person.
Origin:
1480–90; detainen < AF, OF detenir < VL *dētenīre, for L dētinēre, equiv. to dē- de- + -tinēre, comb. form of tenēre to hold

Related forms:
de⋅tain⋅a⋅ble, adjective
de⋅tain⋅ment, noun

Synonyms:
1. retard, stop, slow, stay, check.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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de·tain   (dĭ-tān')   
tr.v.   de·tained, de·tain·ing, de·tains

  1. To keep from proceeding; delay or retard.

  2. To keep in custody or temporary confinement: The police detained several suspects for questioning. The disruptive students were detained after school until their parents had been notified.

  3. Obsolete To retain or withhold (payment or property, for example).


[Middle English deteinen, from Old French detenir, from Vulgar Latin *dētenīre, from Latin dētinēre : dē-, de- + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
de·tain'ment n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

detain 
c.1440, from M.Fr. detenir, from O.Fr. detenir "to hold off, keep back" (12c.), from L. detinere "hold off, keep back," from de- "from, away" + tenere "to hold" (see tenet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: de·tain
Function: transitive verb
1 : to hold or keep in custody or possession detained> detained in a care facility>
2 : to restrain from proceeding <detained the driver and asked to see his license>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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