French word retenir comes from Latin teneo, Latin re-
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| teneo | Latin (lat) | (of laws) I am binding on; bind, hold, obligate. (reflexive) I keep back, remain, stay, hold position. I comprise, contain, include, hold. I hold fast, restrain, detain, check, control; bind, fetter. I hold, have; grasp. I insist, uphold. I know, grasp, understand, conceive. I possess, occupy, control. I reach, attain; gain, acquire, obtain. I recollect, retain knowledge of, remember, bear [...] |
| re- | Latin (lat) | Again; prefix added to various words to indicate an action being done again, or like the other usages indicated above under English.. Back, backwards. |
| retineo | Latin (lat) | I hold fast, maintain, preserve, protect, guard, retain.. I hold in check, repress, check, stop, stay.. I keep or hold back, detain, restrain, retain, confine, contain; delay. |
| *retenīre | Vulgar Latin (la-vul) | |
| *retino | Vulgar Latin (la-vul) | |
| retenir | Old French (fro) | To keep; to retain. |
| retenir | Middle French (frm) | To keep; to retain. |
| retenir | French (fra) | (reflexive) to restrain oneself, hold back. (transitive) to hold back, rein in. (transitive) to keep, detain, hold up. (transitive) to remember. (transitive) to retain, hold. (transitive, intransitive) to accept (que that). (transitive, legal) to uphold. |