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retention

[ri-ten-shuhn]

Origin

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noun

the act of retaining.

the state of being retained.

the power to retain; capacity for retaining.

the act or power of remembering things; memory.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English retencion < Latin retentiōn- (stem of retentiō) a keeping back, equivalent to retent(us) (past participle of retinēre to retain) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

non·re·ten·tion, noun

o·ver·re·ten·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Retention is always a great word to know.

So is quincunx. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

retention (rɪˈtɛnʃən)

—n
1.	the act of retaining or state of being retained
2.	the capacity to hold or retain liquid
3.	the capacity to remember
4.	pathol the abnormal holding within the body of urine, faeces, etc, that are normally excreted
5.	commerce a sum of money owed to a contractor but not paid for an agreed period as a safeguard against any faults found in the work carried out
6.	(plural) accounting profits earned by a company but not distributed as dividends; retained earnings

[C14: from Latin retentiō, from retinēre to retain]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

retention

c.1400, from L. retentionem (nom. retentio) "a retaining, a holding back," from pp. stem of retinere (see retain). Retentive is attested from late 14c., from O.Fr. retentif.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

retention re·ten·tion (rĭ-těn'shən)
n.

Involuntary withholding by the body of wastes or secretions that are normally eliminated.
The holding by the body of what normally belongs in it, such as food in the stomach.
An ability to recall or recognize what has been learned or experienced; memory.
In dentistry, a period following orthodontic treatment when a patient wears an appliance or appliances to stabilize the teeth in their new position.

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"Unless a group of workers know their work is under surveillance, that they are being rated as fairly as human beings, with the fallibility that goes with human judgment, can rate them, and that at least an attempt is made to measure their worth to an organization in relative terms, they are likely to sink back on length of service as the sole reason for retention and promotion."

-Mary Barnett Gilson

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