retention

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɹɪˈtɛnʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #34417

Meanings

1

noun
The act of keeping something rather than losing or giving it up.

The company is focused on improving staff retention.
2

noun
The ability to remember information.

Repeating new words helps with retention.
3

noun
The act of holding liquid in the body instead of releasing it.

Too much salt can cause water retention.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the act of keeping... holding keeping

2 noun · the ability to remember... memory retentiveness

Word family

Forms retentions

Derived forms bioretentiongastroretentionirretentionnonretentionoverretentionretentionalretentionist

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

retention basin
a constructed basin that stores collected water rather than immediately releasing it downstream

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English retencioun, borrowed from Latin retentiō, retentiōnis, from retentus, the perfect passive participle of retineō (“retain”) (from re- (“back, again”) + teneō (“hold, keep”)).

*ten- Proto-Indo-European retencioun Middle English retentiō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# retention

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɹɪˈtɛnʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 34417

## Meanings
1. The act of keeping something rather than losing or giving it up.
2. The ability to remember information.
3. The act of holding liquid in the body instead of releasing it.

## Examples
- The company is focused on improving staff retention.
- Repeating new words helps with retention.
- Too much salt can cause water retention.

## Derived Forms
- bioretention
- gastroretention
- irretention
- nonretention
- overretention
- retentional
- retentionist

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ten-
- Root: retencioun
- Root: retentiō

## Etymology
From Middle English retencioun, borrowed from Latin retentiō, retentiōnis, from retentus, the perfect passive participle of retineō (“retain”) (from re- (“back, again”) + teneō (“hold, keep”)).

## AI Etymology
Retention is from Middle English retencioun, borrowed from Latin retentiō, retentiōnis, from retentus, the perfect passive participle of retineō (“retain”) (from re- (“back, again”) + teneō (“hold, keep”)). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean the act of keeping something rather than losing or giving it up, or the ability to remember information. Derived formations include bioretention, gastroretention, irretention, nonretention, overretention.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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