retentive

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   able to remember information well

   Her retentive memory allowed her to recall long passages word for word.

2. 2
   adj

   able to hold or retain a substance such as water

   Gardeners added compost to make the sandy soil more retentive of moisture.

From Old French retentif and Medieval Latin retentivus, from Latin retinere ("to hold back, retain"). The physical sense of holding something developed naturally into the mental sense of keeping information in memory.

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