detain
[ dih-teyn ]
/ dɪˈteɪn /
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verb (used with object)
to keep from proceeding; keep waiting; delay.
to keep under restraint or in custody.
Obsolete. to keep back or withhold, as from a person.
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Origin of detain
1480–90; detainen<Anglo-French, Old French detenir<Vulgar Latin *dētenīre, for Latin dētinēre, equivalent to dē-de- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre to hold
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for detain
detain
/ (dɪˈteɪn) /
verb (tr)
to delay; hold back; stop
to confine or hold in custody; restrain
archaic to retain or withhold
Derived forms of detain
detainable, adjectivedetainee (ˌdiːteɪˈniː), noundetainment, nounWord Origin for detain
C15: from Old French detenir, from Latin dētinēre to hold off, keep back, from de- + tenēre to hold
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