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| tr.v. re·tained, re·tain·ing, re·tains 1. a. To keep possession of; continue to have: The family sold the house but retained the land. See Synonyms at keep. b. To keep in a particular place or condition: a library that retains the author's papers; plants that retain a lot of water. c. To continue to have as a feature or aspect: retains his good humor after all the setbacks. 2. To keep in mind; remember: retains the songs she learned in childhood. 3. To require (a student) to repeat a class or grade because of insufficient educational progress to advance. 4. a. To keep in one's service or pay: retain employees on a workforce. b. To hire (an attorney, for example) by the payment of a fee. c. To hire a person for (that person's services): retained the best legal advice available. [Middle English reteinen, from Old French retenir, from Latin retinēre : re-, re- + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] re·tain′a·bili·ty n. re·taina·ble adj. re·tainment n. |
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