retentionn.
/rᵻˈtɛnʃn/, U.S. /rəˈtɛnʃən/, /riˈtɛnʃən/ 1.
a. The fact or action of retaining within the body a substance (esp. urine or, in early use, menstrual blood) which would normally be eliminated; failure to eliminate a substance from the body or an organ; an instance of this.See also anal retention n. at anal adj. and n. Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > excretory disorders > [noun] > retention
retentiona1400
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 266 (MED) If þe cause come of retencioun of menstrue, þan þou schalt ȝeue hir medicyns for to bringe out þe menstrue.
c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 102 (MED) Þe olde woundis of wymmen þat ben wiþ childe, for þe retencioun of superfluytees..ben riȝt yuele to ben heelid.
1543 B. Traheron tr. J. de Vigo Most Excellent Wks. Chirurg. i. iii. f. 109/2 Retention of vryne, & costyfnes.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 623 The reliques or retensions of ventosities, whiche staie not for naturall ejections.
1684 tr. S. Blankaart Physical Dict. 182 Lycoides is a Madness like that of Wolves, proceeding from the Retention of Seed.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Urine The Retention of Urine is very painful and very dangerous: It's a Collection or Retention of ill Humours that is the Cause of it.
1804 J. Abernethy Surg. Observ. 237 A gentleman..had a retention of urine from an enlarged prostate gland.
1833 J. Forbes et al. Cycl. Pract. Med. I. 67/2 Amenorrhœa has been usually divided into retention and suppression of the menses.
1876 J. S. Bristowe Treat. Theory & Pract. Med. ii. vi. 807 The presence of the biliary acids in the urine is characteristic of jaundice from the retention of bile.
1914 Med. Council 19 333/1 By gastric retention we mean a condition in which from one cause or another the stomach fails to empty itself within the normally accepted time.
1969 Jrnl. Pediatrics 74 963/1 Hypertension and sodium retention..have been described with prolonged licorice ingestion.
1992 She (BNC) May 119 Reduce your intake of salt, sugar and junk foods—especially beneficial if you suffer from water retention.
2004 New Woman May 97/3 Drink dandelion-leaf tea. It..reduces the fluid retention that often makes your ankles swell up.
b. The ability of the body or part of the body to retain nourishment or (in later use) a nutrient or other substance. Also: the normal ability of an organ to retain its contents or act as a reservoir.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > retaining > [noun] > capacity for
fastnessOE
retention?a1425
retinencya1640
reservance1646
the world > life > the body > secretory organs > action or process of secreting > [noun] > resorption, retention, or recruitment
retentivea1398
retention?a1425
resorption1714
recruitment1948
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Hunterian) f. 38 (MED) Þe profite of alle þes maner fatnesse..is þat þe members þat be lapped in hem mowe be strengheþ bi hem boþe in attraccioun and retencioun.
c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 29 (MED) Þis wisaunt..nediþ noon retencioun but oonly for his owne norischinge.
1547 C. Langton Very Brefe Treat. Phisick iii. i. sig. K.i There be thus many as folowe naturall actions, appeticion, concoction, digestion.., alteration, retention, expulsion. Of the which eche may erre .iii. manner of wayes.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xxv. 253 Helping the naturall concoction, retention, distribution, expulsion, and other vertues, in a weake and vnhealthie bodie.
1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 296 The third action of the wombe is the Retention of the seedes.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Retention, is also used in Medicine, &c. for that State of Contraction in the Solids, or vascular Parts of the Body, which makes them hold fast their proper Contents.
1829 London Encycl. XIX. 744/1 Sometimes, by long continuance, it [sc. sea-sickness] causes..a total deprivation of the retention of the stomach.
1889 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 26 553 The absorption and retention of calcareous matter by bones is a physical process.
1901 Lancet 15 June 1687/1 On these diets there was a considerable retention of nitrogen in the body together with a comparatively small tax on the digestive organs.
1989 J. Douglas Behaviour Probl. in Young Children (1992) (BNC) 107 Children older than 6 years..are asked if they can inhibit urination for an hour to teach bladder retention.
2009 Theriogenol. 71 1128/1 Organic Se [= selenium] in the form of Se yeast increased plasma and milk concentrations.., which indicates improved Se absorption and retention.
c. The action or fact of a body, object, material, etc., holding or keeping something (as liquid, magnetism, etc.) within itself; capacity for keeping or containing. Frequently with of.
ΚΠ
1598 G. Chapman in C. Marlowe & G. Chapman Hero & Leander (new ed.) iii. sig. G2v Retention and eiection in her powrs.
1613 M. Ridley Short Treat. Magneticall Bodies 100 Where a smaller strength Magneticall altereth quickely the retention of the whole more vigorous Magnet.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) ii. iv. 95 No womans heart So bigge, to hold so much, they lacke retention . View more context for this quotation
1656 tr. T. Hobbes Elements Philos. iii. xv. 158 If the retention of the Radius cease, that Endeavour..will now be in the Tangent.
1731 Philos. Trans. 1729–30 (Royal Soc.) 36 307 Steel cannot be seasoned too hard for Retension (nor, as I think, for Reception) of Magnetism.
1823 J. Badcock Domest. Amusem. 141 Stone is the only material upon which you can operate, because of its ready absorption and retention of water.
1871 J. Tyndall Fragm. Sci. (1879) II. xiii. 307 The retention of the retinal impression transforms the little living rod into a twirling wheel.
1910 F. E. Bolton Princ. Educ. xiii. 329 The property of retention of impressions is possessed by all living tissues.
1949 Sci. News Let. 26 Feb. 137/2 A definite correlation between retention of magnetism and lowering of temperature was demonstrated.
2001 T. Batey in K. A. Smith & C. E. Mullins Soil & Environmental Anal. (ed. 2) xv. 611/2 Associated physical properties... Moderately porous,..excellent retention of water.
2.
a. The fact of retaining in the mind what is learnt or experienced; the ability to do this; memory. Also: (Psychology) the ability to retain specific previously learned mental, perceptual, or motor tasks.In quot. ?a1425: a memory.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > retention in the mind > [noun]
retention?a1425
retentive?a1439
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > developmental psychology > acquisition of knowledge > capacity for retaining experience > [noun]
memory1694
conservative facultya1856
faculty of conservationa1856
retentivity1865
retention1902
?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 121 (MED) Intellecte or vndirstondyng is desceyued in her owne siȝt..and in þe same wise mynde in her kepynge and retencyouns.
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. cccvi/2 Theyr fruycion, whiche is..In profounde cognycion, as to Cherubyn, and in perpetuell retencion, as touchynge the thrones.
a1500 (a1450) tr. Secreta Secret. (Ashm. 396) (1977) 111 (MED) The brede and grossenesse of sholdres..shewen hardynesse, with retencion of witte and of wisedome.
1609 W. Shakespeare Sonnets cxxii. sig. H2 That poore retention could not so much hold, Nor need I tallies thy deare loue to skore. View more context for this quotation
1624 T. Heywood Γυναικεῖον vii. 314 That nation..hath beene remarkable for their admirable retention, who..had all the passages of former ages by heart.
1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding ii. x. 65 The next Faculty of the Mind..is that I call Retention; or the keeping of those simple Ideas, which from Sensation or Reflection it hath received.
1745 J. Mason Self-knowl. i. xv. 130 A Man that knows himself will have a Regard to the Furniture of his Memory... If the Retention be bad, do not crowd it.
1754 J. Boswell Let. 8 Mar. (1992) I. 78 I knew him a few years ago.., high in fancy, and strong in retention.
a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics & Logic (1859) II. xxx. 205 The faculty of Acquisition would be useless without the faculty of Retention.
1891 G. T. Ladd Physiol. Psychol. xvii. 418 The ‘retention’ which is commonly spoken of as necessary to the phenomena of memory, cannot be considered as a mental act.
1902 J. M. Baldwin Dict. Philos. & Psychol. II. 470/2 The first [sound] must leave behind it some after-effect which so modifies the second as to determine the judgment. This may also be called retention.
1942 J. A. McGeoch Psychol. Human Learning viii. 321 (heading) Retention of perceptual-motor acts.
1963 L. J. Cronbach Educ. Psychol. (ed. 2) xi. 350 On a retention test several weeks later they [sc. pupils] did better than they had done at the end of the instruction.
2008 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 8 May c5/2 These techniques..have greatly enhanced viewer engagement with the commercials and their retention of the ads' messages.
b. Philosophy. In phenomenology: the continued consciousness of or existence in the present of a previous act or event; an instance of this. Cf. protention n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [noun] > existence in the present of a previous event
retention1898
1898 S. H. Hodgson Metaphysic of Experience I. i. ii. 70 I speak..only of memory in its lowest terms, in the sense of retention of a present, not recall of a past experience.
1930 Jrnl. Philos. 27 538 Protention logically depends on another character which is also essential to every original impression, namely, retention. Retention is a continual beholding of the ‘just now’.
1966 A. Gurwitsch Stud. Phenomenol. & Psychol. vii. 137 The very reality of conscious life..is a phase of present actuality most intimately connected with a whole continuity of phases retained (in retentions of various degrees).
1974 R. Sokolowski Husserlian Meditations v. 134 The primitive elapsing of the now-consciousness into retention is an ‘event’ outside time.
2000 D. Moran Introd. Phenomenology xi. 383 Sartre describes Husserl's concept of retention not as the possession of an image from the present, but that there is possession, as part of the knowledge of the now, of the realisation that the now is already an after.
3. † b. The keeping of a person in custody or confinement; the fact of being confined or imprisoned; detention. Obsolete.† c. The action of checking or holding back; restraint; an instance of this. Obsolete. rare.† d. Restraint in speech, expression, or behaviour; reticence; self-control. Cf. retenue n. Obsolete.† e. Restriction of expenditure; frugality. Obsolete.† f. Law. In common law: the withholding of an exact or official verdict by the court until a later time. Obsolete. rare.
a. The action of holding something fast or keeping something fixed in a place or position; the fact or property of being kept, or remaining, in place.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > absence of movement > [noun] > condition of remaining in one place > keeping fixed in one place
retentionc1475
c1475 tr. Henri de Mondeville Surgery (Wellcome) f. 150v (MED) Alle maner woundis..of þe whiche woundis þe lippis ben fer asundre..þei mowe be drawen togidere, to whos..retencioun artificial byndynge suffisiþ to þe vnioun & þe retencoun of þe byndynge of a wounde.
1598 A. M. tr. J. Guillemeau Frenche Chirurg. v. iv. f. 24/1 (heading) Of the retentione of the tunge, which..we nowe call..tungetyed.
1655 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. I. ii. 14 Falling starres..are cœlestiall bodies failing of their retention by the ordinary course of heaven throwne downe.
1758 A. Bayly Introd. Langs. Literary & Philos. (new ed.) iii. iv. 172 Stuttering is owing to a retention of the tongue too long in its position to the teeth, palate and throat at the beginning of a word.
1798 W. Buchan Domest. Med. (ed. 16) li. 596 The best method of retention is by two or more splints made of leather or pasteboard.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. §26. 373 The frontal slopes..have a northern aspect,..which..causes the retention of the snow upon them.
1887 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 26 Feb. 454 The treatment consisted of..the retention, just within the neck of the bladder, of a gum-elastic catheter.
1930 G. M. Hollenback in I. G. Nicholls Prosthetic Dentistry xlii. 653 It..does not provide as good retention, nor as good support for the abutment tooth as a partial veneer.
1961 Lancet 19 Aug. 410/2 Retention is ensured by screwing the female end-piece fingertight over the male.
2005 RCM & E (Radio Control Models & Electronics) Apr. 51/2 The fuel needle is bored centrally for a needle extension and is fitted with a grub screw for retention.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restraint depriving of liberty > [noun]
safety?a1400
detentc1465
custodyc1503
straina1510
safeguard1528
violence?1535
safe custody1536
restrainta1547
detention?1570
retention1572
constraint1590
sickerness1678
deportation1909
1572 Copie Let. conc. Ladie Marie of Scotl. sig. B.ii Touching the retention of our soueraine Lordes mothers persone.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xxiv. 46 I thought it fit, To saue the old and miserable King to some retention . View more context for this quotation
?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) iv. 336 I haue within this Ile bene held for winde A wondrous time; and can by no meanes find An end to my retention.
1759 B. Martin Nat. Hist. Eng. I. 124 Upon..its being famous for the Retention of State Prisoners,..this Fortress is still visited by Strangers.
1790 W. Mitford Hist. Greece II. xvii. 372 Nothing now pressed the Lacedæmonians so much as the retention of Pylus by the Athenians.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > [noun]
havingeOE
holdc1230
withholdingc1386
restrainingc1390
refraininga1398
repression?a1425
repressing1431
bridlingc1443
restraint1443
restrainc1449
repressurec1487
restingc1503
abstention1521
controlling1523
controlment1525
distrain1531
staying1563
control1564
refrain1568
retention1578
check1579
restrainment1579
refranation1583
cohibition1586
withholdment1640
curbing1661
coercion1827
chastenment1882
detent1907
clamp-down1940
1578 H. Wotton tr. J. Yver Courtlie Controuersie i. 73 Faire Ladye, retayne your owne libertie without retention of mine.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 1213 To consume, cut off and chastice them by all means of repressions and retentions [Fr. retentions] that be reasonable.
1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island iii. xv. 32 Which wer't not surely held with strong retention, Would stirre domestick strife, and fierce contention.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > self-possession or self-control > [noun]
repressiona1413
governailc1425
willc1480
self-rule1532
coldness1548
stay1556
presentness of mind1598
coolness1607
cold blooda1609
temper1611
self-discipline1612
retention?1615
presence of mind?1624
self-governance1630
retentiveness1641
self-command1651
self-mastery1652
self-control1653
self-direction1653
self-restraint1656
self-possession1665
possessednessa1698
self-regulation1698
possession1703
retenue1747
sang-froid1750
self-collection1761
render1768
self-collectedness1805
self-repression1821
self-containedness1835
unimpulsiveness1860
cool-headedness1881
sophrosyne1889
cool1964
?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) xxiii. 349 His wisedome won My still retention, till he gaue me leaue, And charge to tell you this.
1622 J. Reynolds tr. E. de Refuge Treat. Court i. xxxiv. 164 If it fall out that we speak of our selues; it must be with much Retention, and Modesty.
1676 tr. B. Lamy Art of Speaking iv. i. vii. sig. Bb3 The Rhodian Stile..keeps a medium betwixt the liberty of the Asiatick, and the reservednes and retention of the Attick.
?1737 E. Jones Man of Manners (ed. 2) 30 We ought to be plain and modest in our Discourse, so as he may take Notice of our Retention.
1802 W. Gifford tr. Juvenal Satires (1817) I. p. lxxvi In a man of such lively passions, the retention with which he speaks of them all, is to be admired.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > moderation or reduction in expenditure > [noun]
safety1549
moderation1601
retention1655
retrenchment1667
savation?1670
saving1731
waist-tightening1882
cutback1943
1655 H. L'Estrange Reign King Charles 5 In pecuniary dispensations to his Favourites he was excessive liberal, yea though the exigence of his own wants pleaded retention.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 5 The Excess of the Court in the greatest Want, and the Parsimony and Retention of the Country in the greatest Plenty.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > judging > [noun] > deferring of judgement
ampliation1656
retention1658
1658 E. Phillips New World Eng. Words Retention, in Common-law,..when a Court pronounceth not a full arrest, or judgement, but reserves somewhat to be afterwards ordered.
1857 Solicitors' Jrnl. & Reporter 7 Mar. 242/1 To this bill (and to the retention of the verdict, which, at the trial, was pro formâ entered for the plaintiff) two objections were now made on behalf of the defendant.
g. A sum of money that is kept back or withheld; the amount or sum of money withheld.
ΚΠ
1839 P. Lecount Pract. Treat. on Railways 63 Work done... Less retentions, 5 per cent.
1880 J. Muirhead tr. Ulpian Rules vi, in tr. Gaius Institutes 374 Retentions out of a dowry are competent..on account of things donated, or on account of things abstracted.
1888 Appletons' Ann. Cycl. 1887 240/1 The receipts under the various heads were estimated as follows: Direct contributions, £E5,663,883;..retentions of salaries, £E40,000.
1915 Ann. Rep. Commissioners District of Columbia I. 87 The amount of annual charges to said retentions for repairs paid therefrom.
1962 Rep. Comm. Broadcasting 1960 153 in Parl. Papers 1961–2 (Cmnd. 1753) X. 259 Gross licence revenue... Deduct retentions.
1998 E. Bignell Which? Way to save & Invest (ed. 10) xvi. 264 Amounts kept back are called retained profits or earnings, or retentions.
4.
a. The action or fact of keeping something in one's own hands or under one's own control; continued possession of something.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > retaining > [noun]
holding?c1225
keepingc1400
retainment1449
retainer1453
retain1455
retainingc1460
retainder1467
retinue1489
retentivea1500
retention1540
reservation1607
retainal1754
reserval1829
1540 Act 32 Hen. VIII c. 25 A deduction and retencion of the sayde .iiii.s. be made in the handes of the payers of the sayd pencion.
1580–1 Reg. Privy Council Scotl. III. 362 Nather can the said Bischop have actioun aganis the said David for retentioun of the thrid of the said pensioun.
1644 J. Bulwer Chirologia 65 An uncharitable retention, which doth not love to scatter, but to snatch away.
1766 W. Gordon Gen. Counting-house 114 Allowed retention of the premium.
1799 C. B. Brown Edgar Huntly II. xiv. 120 To permit our retention of this money.
1810 S. T. Coleridge Friend 31 Jan. 359 A mere acquiescence on his Part in our Retention of Malta.
1855 M. Maretzek Crotchets & Quavers 56 You ask me what ‘rowdyism’ is,..and had I faith in your retention of this letter, I would tell you.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People viii. §9. 563 The House at once insisted on the retention of its power.
1919 Proc. Acad. Polit. Sci. N.Y. 8 145 Nothing excepting the retention of title by the state or the nation can fend against the reaccumulation of developed areas into large holdings.
1957 H. Williamson Golden Virgin (1963) I. xi. 151 Two copies of the Leave of Absence form D.3a will be sent for you, one for your retention, the other you should send to your regimental agents.
1968 Times 26 Mar. 13/6 Nothing can stand in the way of recognizing Lee's deserved retention of the championship.
2001 Marketing Week 2 Aug. 67/3 (advt.) Our client is continually striving to raise awareness of its services to increase customer acquisition and retention.
b. Law (originally and chiefly Scots Law). A right to keep possession of property due to be conveyed to another person until an obligation (esp. a debt) on the part of that person is discharged; a lien. Also more fully right of retention.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > [noun] > right to retain property until debt paid
elegitc1523
lien1530
retention1551
hypothec1733
1551 Dundee Burgh Court Bks. II. f. 111v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Retention The said baillie gaif to hir..sesing thare of but ony retencioun pactioun de retro vendendo or reseruatioun except his said lyfrent allanerlie.
1692 Earl of Galloway's Family Papers 28 Apr. For ane quarters retention deduced & reteined by his lordship as the annuelrent..of 3000 merks..granted..to..Patrick Don.
1754 J. Erskine Princ. Law Scotl. II. iii. iv. 320 The right of retention, which bears a near resemblance to compensation, is chiefly competent, where the mutual debts, not being liquid, cannot be the ground of compensation.
1761 tr. Frederician Code I. iv. i. 175 Retention cannot be claimed under pretext of having made meliorations, the subject itself being sufficient security.
1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scotl. 595 Before the introduction of the term lien into Scotch legal phraseology, the right to retain the property of a debtor was recognised under the name of the right of retention.
1855 G. Ross Leading Cases Law Eng. & Scotl. II. 652 That was a mere case of retention as between the original vendor and vendee, for an undisputed debt.
1927 W. M. Gloag & R. C. Henderson Introd. Law Scotl. 185 If the title of the creditor is in form absolute his security, unless limited by some express contract, involves a right of retention, which will cover any debt incurred in the future.
1999 V. Musin in A. von Ziegler et al. Transfer Ownership in Internat. Trade 318 It is fair to conclude that retention should be governed by the law applicable to the obligation in question.
c. The pronouncing of a sin or sins unforgiven; the retaining of a person in a state of sin. Contrasted with remission. See retain v. 2d.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > sacrament > confession > absolution > [noun] > retention of sins
retention1586
binding1651
1586 W. Fulke Confut. Treat. W. Allen i. iii. 76 in Treat. against Def. of Censure Bks. W. Charke & M. Hanmer The sentence of God concerning the remission or retention of mens sinnes.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iii. xlii. 274 The Power of Remission, and Retention of Sinnes,..is a consequence of the Authority to Baptize.
1711 J. Jackson Grounds & Occasions Mens Offences against Clergy 7 A Divine Authority to watch for Mens Souls, and pronounce God's Remission and Retention of their Sins.
a1767 J. Orr Sermons (1772) III. vii. 180 Compounding with God, for the Retention of our beloved Sins.
1845 Eng. Rev. June 321 A form of retention of sins addressed to impenitent sinners immediately after the absolution given to the penitent.
1870 B. Jackson Forgiveness of Sins & Other Serm. i. 14 If the thought arises in the heart of any one that the text makes the retention as absolute and final as the remission,..let such an one remember that the Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.
1909 G. C. Morgan Missionary Manifesto v. 122 We take to men a Saviour in Whose presence they make a choice which results either in the remission or retention of their sins.
2002 R. L. Deffinbaugh That you might Believe xlvii. 613 The Holy Spirit is given to the apostles so that they can either proclaim the forgiveness of sins, or the retention of sins.
d. The action or fact of continuing to possess a quality or attribute.
ΚΠ
1606 T. Palmer Ess. Meanes to make Trauailes more Profitable ii. 50 Singularly to haue an eye of diligent watch to their particular affaires as well for knowledge and encrease of experience, as for the retention of a sound and holy conscience.
1772 W. Cullen Lect. Materia Medica 200 How far this retention of colour implies a retention of virtue, I shall not say.
1849 R. Baikie tr. H. Francke Outl. New Theory Dis. i. 58 Without daily drinking of water, the life-long healthiness of stomach and retention of strength are impossible.
1887 Lit. World 22 July 71/1 To those who fear that Mr. Darwin's theories are fatal to the retention of faith in Christianity, we cannot do better than commend the study of Mr. Wilson's ‘Evolution: an Elementary Lecture’.
1967 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 113 1051/1 This state would appear to be more akin to one of obsession than of possession, the essential difference between the two being that in obsession what Oesterreich calls ‘retention of intelligence’ is present.
2008 Guardian 16 Jan. (G2 section) 19/2 Chefs love sous-vide because it gives..an incredible retention of flavours and aromas.
e. The action or fact of continuing to use, practise, or recognize something.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > continuing > [noun] > continuing to use or practise
adherencea1600
retention1625
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > preservation from injury or destruction > [noun] > preservation in being or maintenance > specifically of existing conditions, institutions, etc.
conservationc1447
conservancya1500
retention1625
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 140 A Froward Retention of Custome, is as turbulent a Thing, as an Innouation.
1660 Bp. J. Taylor Ductor Dubitantium I. ii. ii. 285 I know no other difficulty concerning..the retention of the Ceremonial law in general, or in any of its instances.
1775 Inq. Policy of Laws 8 Our own jealous Retention of a most grievous System of Penal Laws.
1787 Observ. Specimen Alterum Pharmacopæiæ Londinensis 21 The retention of the name calls in question your chemical abilities.
1811 J. Pinkerton Petralogy I. Introd. p. xiii The retention, in their systems, of the four gradual divisions of the logicians.
1861 A. P. Stanley Lect. Eastern Churches (1869) vi. 193 The retention of the old Pagan name of Dies Solis for the weekly Christian festival.
1953 Lang. Learning 4 104 Relic areas..are those whose geographical or cultural isolation, and relative lack of prestige, has caused the retention of older forms.
1999 W. Soyinka Burden of Memory i. 61 There is this very issue of internal cultural retention, and a straining towards a reharmonization with the past.
f. The action or fact of allowing something to remain in place, rather than discarding or removing it; preservation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > preservation from injury or destruction > [noun]
salvationc1374
preservation?a1425
servation1521
preserval1639
retention1799
1799 W. Nicol Pract. Planter 46 The removal of the poisoned, and careful retention of the healthy and well-fed plants.
1840 Mirror of Parl. (3rd Sess., 14th Parl.) 5 4586/2 I shall certainly vote for the retention of this paragraph in the preamble, Sir;..I see no reason whatever for striking it out.
1902 E. H. Hall in Old Martyrs' Prison 4 We should no longer urge the retention of this building in situ if the demands of public convenience in the construction of the rapid transit tunnel absolutely required its removal.
1999 Washington Post (Nexis) 16 Mar. a2 The most compelling reason for long-term retention of live variola virus stocks would be their essential role in the identification and development of antiviral agents.
2006 P. Bertola & B. Oliver Workshops Introd. 11/2 They challenged those responsible for the development to ensure that the outcomes were more than retention of some buildings and a passing acknowledgement of the historical significance of the site.
g. Something that is kept on, or that continues in use.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > retaining > [noun] > that which is
retent1794
retention1862
1862 W. H. I. Bleek Compar. Gram. S. Afr. Langs.: Pt. I 234 Some of the correspondences between singular and plural prefixes..are probably not innovations,—but retentions from a former period.
1890 Dial. Notes 1 294 How far they are retentions of pronunciations in England and how far they are the result of dialect divergence in this country or of foreign influences we do not fully know.
1922 Daily Mail 15 Dec. 11 Major Doyle both rode and trained Ilderton, who looked a cheap retention at 100 gs.
1970 P. Oliver Savannah Syncopators 63 There is a frequently expressed opinion that the use of the ‘answering’ guitar in some blues traditions is a retention from the custom of leader-and-chorus singing.
2001 H. Gilbert Postcolonial Plays 154/2 Through the performance of the Etu ritual, an African retention practised in western Jamaica, the dead women are ‘raised’ to relive fragments of their lives for the audience.
Compounds
C1.
retention rate n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > [noun] > rate of continued health of treated patients
retention rate1919
1919 Jrnl. Biol. Chem. 38 270 A 50 lb. pig will retain..60 per cent of the total nitrogen ingested. Even this figure may not be the maximum retention rate.
1941 S. H. Slighter Union Policies & Industr. Managem. xii. 347 There are two cost curves—one based on the attraction rate and the other on the retention rate.
1972 N.Y. Times 3 Nov. 18/4 The retention rates for the addicts referred to the therapeutic communities..are high.
2000 Ralph 7 July 84/1 There wasn't a great retention rate in the sport. People would do it, scare the shit out of themselves and leave.
C2.
retention bonus n. (a) U.S. (in employee stock ownership schemes) a financial reward paid annually for each share of stock owned by an employee (now rare); (b) a financial bonus paid to an employee as an incentive to remain in the employment of a company.
ΚΠ
1917 Bull. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics No. 208. 130 When stock is fully paid for, the dividends as well as the retention bonuses are paid to the employee in cash.
1926 Lincoln (Nebraska) Star 27 June 8/3 He [sc. the employee] also is credited with a retention bonus of $1 per share each year.
1971 Pacific Stars & Stripes 24 Mar. 23/4 A variable housing allowance..and procurement and retention bonuses for officer, enlisted and guard/reserve personnel.
2003 Guardian 9 Sept. 16/7 The..investors called on the board to forgo its retention bonuses.
retention curve n. Science a curve on a graph which shows the amount of something retained as a function of time, e.g. a substance by the body, moisture by the soil, (Psychology) learning by a person or animal; frequently with modifying word(s).
ΚΠ
1904 Canad. Practitioner 29 342 They found also that the degree of albuminuria follows the oscillations of the chloride retention curve.
1940 R. S. Woodworth Psychol. (ed. 12) x. 337 The retention curve, or ‘curve of forgetting’,..shows a gradual loss of retention with the lapse of time.
1947 Diagnosis & Improvem. Saline & Alkali Soils (U.S. Dept. Agric.) 122 Porous ceramic plates are used to obtain the soil moisture retention curve in the 1-atmosphere tension range.
1991 D. C. Riccio & N. E. Spear in M. R. Denny Fear, Avoidance, & Phobias vii. 233 A salient example of temporal fluctuations in memory is seen in the nonmonotonic retention curve for avoidance learning known as the ‘Kamin effect’.
2007 Drug & Alcohol Dependence 91 290/2 The shape of the retention curves, and details of clinical course in the three groups are also of interest.
retention cyst n. [after German Retentionscyste (now Retentionskyste) ( R. Virchow Die krankhaften Geschwülste (1863) I. vi. 123)] Medicine a cyst resulting from the obstruction of an excretory duct.
ΚΠ
1864 Brit. & Foreign Medico-chirurg. Rev. 34 418 In Lectures XI. and XII. the retention cysts are fully illustrated from the skin and mucous membranes respectively.
1968 H. O. Mackey & J. P. Mackey Handbk. Dis. Skin (ed. 9) xxxv. 352 They are considered to be retention cysts containing sebaceous material and horn cells.
2008 Clin. Imaging 32 301/1 The same finding in a patient of the present study, reported as possible recurrence of cervical carcinoma, was found to be a benign retention cyst.
retention money n. a sum of money withheld; esp. (part) payment for goods or work kept back until such time as a contract is fulfilled to the satisfaction of the payer (cf. retent n.2 3).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > payment > non-payment > [noun] > portion of payment withheld > as security for fulfilment of obligations
retention money1697
1697 in R. C. MacLeod Bk. Dunvegan (1938) I. 252 Withal the due and ordinar retentione money imposed by Act of Parliament.
1703 W. Forbes Methodical Treat. Bills of Exchange viii. 149 A Legal Deduction or abatement for some particular years of a Sixt, and sometimes of a Twelvth part was allowed to Debtors; commonly called Retention Money.
1852 Times 31 July 6/4 There is due the sum of 3,417l. of retention money and floating bills for work done.
1911 W. Thomson Dict. Banking 452/2 If an assignment of retention money is given as security, notice of the assignment must be given to..the person who is liable to pay the money to the contractor.
1991 New Builder 12 Sept. 8/5 The court judgment..ruled that clients should put retention money in separate trust accounts.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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