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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

retainer en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ɹəˈteɪn.ɚ/ (General-American)
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ɹɪˈteɪn.ɚ/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree English retain Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English retainer From retain + -er.

Meanings

  1. Any thing or person that retains.
  2. A dependent or follower of someone of rank.
    • If they possessed the means to marshal labour, pile up food resources and provender armies of year-round retainers, what sort of royalty would consciously elect not to do so. 2021 October 19, David Graeber, David Wengrowr, “Unfreezing the ice age: the truth about humanity’s deep past”, in The Guardian, UK:
  3. A paid servant, especially one who has been employed for many years.
    • Of all this family lore I knew but little and vaguely; only what is to be gathered from the fireside talk of old retainers in the nursery. 1865, Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle Silas:
  4. A fee one pays to reserve the other's time for services.
    • This lawyer charges a retainer for his work.
  5. A device that holds teeth in position after orthodontic treatment.
    • You give me head / It makes it worse / Take out your fuckin' retainer / Put it in your purse 1981, “Too Drunk to Fuck”, performed by Dead Kennedys:
    • I've known you since the third grade. I've hand-washed your retainer. I keep mint-flavored Oreos at the house for you. 2017, Mike Oppenhuizen, Jen Regan, “The D-Train to Bone Town” (27:47 from the start), in Michael Patrick Jann, director, Atypical, season 1, episode 6, spoken by Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh), via Netflix:
  6. A retaining valve.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
retainers Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

special retainer · retainership · general retainer · retainerless

Relateds

brace

Translations (41)

de Dienstmann (dependent or follower) · fi palvelija (paid servant) · bg предплата (fee) · nl retentiebeugel (dentistry: device) · fr avance (fee) · gv argid kianglee (fee) · bg васал (dependent or follower) · ja 家来 (dependent or follower) · ru слуга́ (paid servant) · egy Sms-w (paid servant) · fr faux-palais (dentistry: device) · bg задръжка (any thing or person that retains) · de Zahnspange (dentistry: device) · pt aparelho (dentistry: device) · nn regulering (dentistry: device) · fi hammastuki (dentistry: device) · ja 臣下 (paid servant) · de Retainer (dentistry: device) · bg слуга (dependent or follower) · bg слуга (paid servant) · es retenedor (ortodóntico / ortodóncico) (dentistry: device) · pl aparat ortodontyczny (dentistry: device) · fi ennakkomaksu (fee) · es criado (paid servant) · fi pidike (any thing or person that retains) · fr serviteur (paid servant) · egy Sms-w (dependent or follower) · de Bediensteter (paid servant) · eo akompananto (dependent or follower) · ru предвари́тельный гонора́р (fee) · pt retentor (any thing or person that retains) · de Vasall (dependent or follower) · fr suite (dependent or follower) · de Gefolgsmann (dependent or follower) · es anticipo (fee) · enm hirdman (dependent or follower) · bn নওকর (paid servant) · fr contention (dentistry: device) · fi ennakkopalkkio (fee) · nb regulering (dentistry: device) · fi pidäke (any thing or person that retains)