retention, keeping, holding
(noun) the act of retaining something
retentiveness, retentivity, retention
(noun) the power of retaining liquid; “moisture retentivity of soil”
memory, retention, retentiveness, retentivity
(noun) the power of retaining and recalling past experience; “he had a good memory when he was younger”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
retention (countable and uncountable, plural retentions)
The act of retaining or something retained
The act or power of remembering things
A memory; what is retained in the mind
(medicine) The involuntary withholding of urine and faeces
(medicine) The length of time an individual remains in treatment
(obsolete) That which contains something, as a tablet; a means of preserving impressions.
(obsolete) The act of withholding; restraint; reserve.
(obsolete) A place of custody or confinement.
(legal) The right to withhold a debt, or of retaining property until a debt due to the person claiming the right is duly paid; a lien.
• enter into, tontineer
Source: Wiktionary
Re*ten"tion, n. Etym: [L. retentio: cf. F. rétention. See Retain.]
1. The act of retaining, or the state of being ratined.
2. The power of retaining; retentiveness. No woman's heart So big, to hold so much; they lack retention. Shak.
3. That which contains something, as a tablet; a [R.] Shak.
4. The act of withholding; retraint; reserve. Shak.
5. Place of custody or confinement.
6. (Law)
Definition: The right of withholding a debt, or of retaining property until a debt due to the person claiming the right be duly paid; a lien. Erskine. Craig. Retention cyst (Med.), a cyst produced by obstruction of a duct leading from a secreting organ and the consequent retention of the natural secretions.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
24 April 2025
(noun) an obsolete term for the network of viscous material in the cell nucleus on which the chromatin granules were thought to be suspended
According to Guinness World Records, on 25 September 2016, the Birla Institute of Management Technology (India) in Uttar Pradesh, India, constructed the largest coffee cups pyramid consisting of 23,821 cups. They used paper takeaway coffee cups to build the pyramid.