Etymograph

English

retention

Retention comes from Latin retentus ‘restrained, delayed’, from retineō ‘retain’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō‘to hold’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō‘hold, keep’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEretineō‘retain’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEretentus‘restrained, delayed’perfect passive participle of retineō
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEretentiō
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500retencioun
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1601–1602retention

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō‘to hold’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō‘hold, keep’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEretineō‘retain’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEretentus‘restrained, delayed’perfect passive participle of retineō
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEretentiō
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500retencioun
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1601–1602retention

Earliest quotation: c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfe Night, or What You Will: “No woman's heart / So big, to hold so…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’

obtain, tight, tone, tune, entertainment, maintenance, ton, tender, tonic, pristine, pertinent, tendon, tenacious, tetanus, countenance, tantra, maintainer, tendinitis, hypotenuse, 64 more

through Proto-Italic *tenēō ‘to hold’

container, incontinent, 19 more

through Latin teneō ‘hold, keep’

continue, content, contain, tennis, sustain, continuous, continent, tenant, abstain, detain, tenor, continuum, detention, abstinence, pertain, tenacity, sustenance, tenet, incontinence, tenement, tenable, abstention, abstinent, continence, 21 more

through Latin retineō ‘retain’

retain, rein, retinue, 1 more

Today it means

noun The act of retaining or something retained.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / retention

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