Etymologically
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retenir

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁə.t(ə).niʁ/[1]

Forms

retenir[1]

Etymology

Rey, the Grand Robert and the GLLF take it as from French re- + tenir, formed on the model of Latin retineō (“to hold back; to keep; to restrain”), from re- (“back”) and teneō (“to hold”).[2][3][4] Bloch and Wartburg, the Petit Robert and Wiktionary take it from the Latin verb, which developed in parallel with “tenir”.[5][6][1][7]

Compare Italian ritenere, Old Occitan retener, Spanish retener and Portuguese reter.[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Vie de saint Alexis (about 1050) it means to keep for oneself part of what one has received, tant an retint, dunt son cors en sustint, and to reserve something for someone.[10][9]

Semantic evolution

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) uses it for taking someone into one's service and for keeping a prisoner, Wace (1155) for keeping someone near oneself, whence retenir à souper (1548) and Racine's je ne te retiens plus (1667).[10][2] To fix in one's memory is found about 1165, to hold back a figure in a sum in the 13th century, and to book a room or a seat from the 14th.[10][6] In Old and Middle French it overlapped with tenir, maintenir, soutenir and entretenir, and could mean “to conceive”; the 16th century brought it back closer to the Latin.[2]

Robert Estienne (1538) has it for restraining one's feelings, as in retenir ses larmes, and retenir son haleine.[10][2] With a thing as subject, retenir l'attention is found in 1559.[2] In law retenir une cause is recorded by Furetière (1690).[10]

Timeline

  • c. 1050 – Vie de saint Alexis.[10]
  • c. 1100 – To keep in one's service; to hold captive, Chanson de Roland.[10]
  • c. 1165 – To remember, Roman de Troie.[10]
  • c. 1170 – Retenue.[5]
  • 13th century – To carry a figure in a sum.[10]
  • 1538 – To restrain one's tears.[10]
  • 1548 – Retenir à souper.[10]
  • 1667 – Je ne te retiens plus, Racine.[10]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To hold back, keep from moving or falling: retenir quelqu'un par le bras, retenir l'eau.[11][1]
  2. To keep, detain; to keep someone with oneself: je ne vous retiens pas.[1][2]
  3. To keep back, deduct: retenir une somme sur le salaire.[6][12]
  4. To reserve, book: retenir une chambre, retenir une date.[6]
  5. To remember: retenir une leçon; in arithmetic, to carry.[6][1][10]
  6. To restrain, suppress: retenir ses larmes, son souffle.[10][1]
  7. To accept, adopt: retenir une proposition, (law) to uphold: retenir un chef d'accusation.[1][4]
  8. Se retenir: to hold on; to restrain oneself: se retenir de rire.[2][1]

Word family

  • retenue

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 333b
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  12. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)