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retention

Syllabification: (re·ten·tion)
Pronunciation: /riˈtenCHən/
Translate retention | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of retention

noun

  • the continued possession, use, or control of something:the retention of direct control by central government
  • the fact of keeping something in one’s memory:the children’s retention of facts
  • the action of absorbing and continuing to hold a substance:the soil’s retention of moisture
  • failure to eliminate a substance from the body:eating too much salt can lead to fluid retention

Origin:

late Middle English (denoting the power to retain something): from Old French, from Latin retentio(n-), from retinere 'hold back' (see retain)

retention in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of retention in the British & World English dictionary
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Word of the day

enjambement

/ ɪnˈdʒam(b)m(ə)nt /
noun
(in verse) the continuation of a sentence without a pause …