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detain

Pronunciation: /dɪˈteɪn/

The English word “detain” has 5 meanings listed here.

verb

  1. To keep something from proceeding or coming to completion; to delay.
  2. To keep someone from proceeding by holding them back or making claims on their attention.
  3. To keep back or from; to withhold.
  4. To put someone under custody.
  5. To seize goods for official purposes.

Etymology

From Old French detenir. Doublet of détente. Cognate with Italian detenere, Portuguese deter, Romanian deține, and Spanish detener.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.