RETENTION

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


Etymology

Noun

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.

Anagrams

• 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



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Word of the Day

3 July 2025

SENSE

(noun) the faculty through which the external world is apprehended; “in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee shop is the Al Masaa Café, which has 1,050 seats. The coffee shop was inaugurated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 13 August 2014.

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