retinue

[ret-n-oo, -yoo]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR retinue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Origin of retinue

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

Related formsret·i·nued, adjectiveun·ret·i·nued, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for retinue

entourage, cortege, procession, crew, band, train, escort, following, suite, service, personnel, staff, harem

Examples from the Web for retinue

Contemporary Examples of retinue

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
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
There is a usually a retinue of “reliable” Mohalells in each pious community.
Is Khamenei the New Putin?
Abbas Milani
September 26, 2011
The retinue has been the subject of much media attention.
Muammar Gaddafi's 25 Strangest Moments
David A. Graham
February 23, 2011

Historical Examples of retinue

My brother was servile; he has attached himself to the retinue of a wealthy Baroness.
City of Endless Night
Milo Hastings
The intervention of the retinue of Roderic was scarcely admitted.
Imogen
William Godwin
I have fled from myself; I have fled from the magnificence of my retinue, to find variety.
Imogen
William Godwin
His equipages and retinue were of a kind to match his personal effulgence.
The Historical Nights Entertainment, Second Series
Rafael Sabatini
He provided a house for her, and assigned to her service a retinue of domestics.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 2, August, 1863
Various

British Dictionary definitions for retinue

retinue

noun

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

Derived Formsretinued, 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

Word Origin and History for retinue

late 14c., from Old French retenue "group of followers, state of service," literally "that which is retained," noun use of fem. past participle of retenir "to employ, to retain, hold back" (see retain). Related: Retinular.