• retindre

Inherited from Old Catalan retenir, from Latin retinēre, with normal change of conjugation to -ir.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [rə.təˈni]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [re.teˈniɾ]
• Rhymes: -i(ɾ)

retenir (first-person singular present retinc, first-person singular preterite retinguí, past participle retingut); root stress: (Central, Valencia, Balearic) /e/

1. to retain; to keep
2. to retain; to remember
3. (reflexive) to control oneself; to control one's impulses

• retenció

• “retenir” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Inherited from Middle French retenir, from Old French retenir, from Vulgar Latin *retenīre, from Latin retinēre, from re- + teneō (“to hold”).

• IPA^(key): /ʁə.t(ə).niʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

retenir

1. (transitive) to retain, hold
   1. (transitive) to hold back, rein in
   2. (transitive) to keep, detain, hold up
2. (transitive) to remember
3. (transitive, intransitive) to accept (que that)
4. (transitive, law) to uphold
5. (reflexive) to restrain oneself, hold back

   Je n’ai pas pu me retenir, je n’ai pas pu m’en empêcher. ― I couldn't help myself.

This is a verb in a group of -ir verbs. All verbs ending in -tenir, such as contenir and détenir, are conjugated this way. Such verbs are the only verbs whose the past historic and subjunctive imperfect endings do not start in one of these thematic vowels (-a-, -i-, -u-).

• donner et retenir ne vaut
• retenir la leçon
• retenir ses coups
• retenir son souffle

• rétention

• “retenir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• inerter, rentier, terrien, terrine

From Old French retenir.

retenir

1. to keep; to retain
   • 1488, Jean Dupré, Lancelot du Lac, page 67:

     ceulx qui venoient en la dance estoient retenus

     those who came into the dance where retained

• English: retain
• French: retenir

From Vulgar Latin *retenīre, from Latin retinēre.

retenir

1. to keep; to retain

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has a stressed present stem retien distinct from the unstressed stem reten, as well as other irregularities. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

• retencion

• Middle French: retenir
  • English: retain
  • French: retenir