retained
UK[rɪˈteɪnd]US[rɪˈteɪnd]
adj
Kept in one's possession or use.
verb (past tense and past participle of retain)
Continued to have; kept possession of.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
tain
ed
re
again, back
tain
hold
ed
past tense suffix
Etymology
The word "retained" is built upon the Latin verb tenēre, meaning "to hold", which descends from the Proto-Indo-European root ten-, conveying the concept of stretching or extending, and by extension, holding. The prefix re-, meaning "back" or "again", was added in Latin to form retinēre, signifying "to hold back" or "to keep". This term passed into Old French as retenir before entering Middle English. The addition of the Germanic suffix -ed marks its grammatical function as a past tense verb or adjective, completing its journey to signify something that has been held back or kept in possession.
Analysis
Structure: re (again, back) + tain (hold) + ed (past tense suffix)
- re: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
- tain: From Latin tenēre (to hold), via Old French tenir. It is a bound root in English.
- ed: Old English origin, a suffix used to form the past tense and past participle of regular verbs.
Examples
The company retained its most experienced staff during the restructuring.
He has retained a clear memory of the event despite the passing years.
The soil retained moisture well after the heavy rain.