retinue

[ ret-n-oo, -yoo ]

/ ˈrɛt nˌu, -ˌyu /

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noun

a body of retainers in attendance upon an important personage; suite.

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Origin of retinue

1325–75; Middle English retinue<Middle French, noun use of feminine past participle of retenir to retain

OTHER WORDS FROM retinue

ret·i·nued, adjectiveun·ret·i·nued, adjective

Words nearby retinue

retinoid, retinol, retinopathy, retinoscope, retinoscopy, retinue, retinula, retiral, retirant, retire, retired

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use retinue in a sentence

By 1315 AD, the numbers of Mamluks in Egypt rose exponentially to 24,000 men – but more than half of them came from the retinues of the amirs.
Mamluks: The Incredible Islamic Slave-Warriors of Egypt|Dattatreya Mandal|June 23, 2022|Realm of History
Such claims, as well as the seething tone with which Putin delivered them, have come in the past from the most infamous paranoiac in his retinue, the security chief Nikolai Patrushev.
Putin's Moves Toward War in Ukraine Show How Dangerous He Has Become|Simon Shuster|February 22, 2022|Time
And so, the horned god became Satan—and others in his demonic retinue.
Meet Krampus, the Seriously Bad Santa|Jay Michaelson|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Shaving: the most boring, tedious thing a man must do in his little retinue of personal upkeep chores.
Leo, the Beard Has to Go: When a Man’s Facial Hair Reaches Crisis Point|Tim Teeman|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

First charged with “piracy,” each member of the retinue now faces seven years in jail if found guilty of “hooliganism.”
The Return of Russian Hard Power?|Michael Weiss|November 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And then his retinue of friends and spiritual advisors arrived, and he floated away on a cloud of "insiderdom" and "privilege."
Russell Brand: Not Quite a Messiah|James Poulos|October 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There is a usually a retinue of “reliable” Mohalells in each pious community.
Is Khamenei the New Putin?|Abbas Milani|September 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
When the Begum and the moulvie departed for Lucknow they were accompanied by nearly the whole of their retinue.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Well, her father established Peggy in a big house in St. James's—huge retinue of servants and so forth.
A Butterfly on the Wheel|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
Gazing toward the Distance, the Wazir saw the Princess and her retinue nearing their destination.
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays|Various
The past has come down to us cloaked and shrouded, and attended by its decorous retinue of mutes and bearers.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
His guardsmen trotted alongside while the rest of his retinue mounted and followed as best they could.
The Envoy, Her|Horace Brown Fyfe

British Dictionary definitions for retinue

retinue

/ (ˈrɛtɪˌnjuː) /

noun

a body of aides and retainers attending an important person, royalty, etc

Derived forms of retinue

retinued, adjective

Word Origin for retinue

C14: from Old French retenue, from retenir to retain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

retinue

Origin of retinue

OTHER WORDS FROM retinue

Words nearby retinue

Words related to retinue

How to use retinue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for retinue

Derived forms of retinue

Word Origin for retinue