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Retain in Scrabble and Meaning

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What does retain mean? Is retain a Scrabble word?

How many points in Scrabble is retain worth? retain how many points in Words With Friends? What does retain mean? Get all these answers on this page.

Scrabble® and Words with Friends® points for retain

See how to calculate how many points for retain.

Is retain a Scrabble word?

Yes. The word retain is a Scrabble US word. The word retain is worth 6 points in Scrabble:

R1E1T1A1I1N1

Is retain a Scrabble UK word?

Yes. The word retain is a Scrabble UK word and has 6 points:

R1E1T1A1I1N1

Is retain a Words With Friends word?

Yes. The word retain is a Words With Friends word. The word retain is worth 7 points in Words With Friends (WWF):

R1E1T1A1I1N2

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Valid words made from Retain

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6-letter words (3 found)

RATINE,RETAIN,RETINA,

5-letter words (17 found)

ANTRE,EARNT,ENTIA,INERT,INTER,INTRA,IRATE,NITER,NITRE,RAINE,RETIA,RIANT,TENIA,TERAI,TINEA,TRAIN,TRINE,

4-letter words (39 found)

AINE,AIRN,AIRT,ANTE,ANTI,ARET,ARTI,EARN,EINA,ETNA,NARE,NEAR,NEAT,NITE,RAIN,RAIT,RANI,RANT,RATE,REAN,REIN,RENT,RINE,RITE,TAIN,TANE,TARE,TARN,TEAR,TEIN,TERN,TIAN,TIAR,TIER,TINA,TINE,TIRE,TRIE,TRIN,

3-letter words (39 found)

AIN,AIR,AIT,ANE,ANI,ANT,ARE,ART,ATE,EAN,EAR,EAT,ERA,ERN,ETA,IRE,ITA,NAE,NAT,NET,NIE,NIT,RAI,RAN,RAT,REI,REN,RET,RIA,RIN,RIT,TAE,TAI,TAN,TAR,TEA,TEN,TIE,TIN,

2-letter words (17 found)

AE,AI,AN,AR,AT,EA,EN,ER,ET,IN,IT,NA,NE,RE,TA,TE,TI,

1-letter words (1 found)

E,

You can make 116 words from retain according to the Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

Definitions and meaning of retain

retain

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɹɪˈteɪn/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ɹəˈteɪn/, /ɹi-/
  • Rhymes: -eɪn
  • Hyphenation: re‧tain

Etymology 1

From Late Middle English reteinen, retein (“to continue to keep, retain; to continue to possess; to possess; to contain; to draw back, retire; to hold back, restrain; to keep in mind, remember; to take back, repossess; to appoint; to engage in one’s service, employ, hire”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman reteiner, retenir [and other forms], Middle French retenir, and Old French retenir (“to keep back, retain; to keep, maintain, preserve; to possess; to engage in one’s service, employ; to detain; to hold back, restrain; to remember”) (modern French retenir), from Vulgar Latin *retinīre, from Latin retinēre, the present active infinitive of retineō (“to keep or hold back, detain, retain; to hold in check, stop; to hold fast, maintain; to keep in mind, remember”) (compare Late Latin retineō (“to keep engaged in one’s service”)), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + teneō (“to grasp, hold; to hold fast, restrain; to possess; to keep in mind, remember”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to extend, stretch”)).

Sense 1.10 (“to declare (a sin) not forgiven”) is derived from John 20:23 in the Bible, in Late Latin quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt, and in Koine Greek ἄν τινων κρατῆτε, κεκράτηνται: see the 1526 quotation.

Verb

retain (third-person singular simple present retains, present participle retaining, simple past and past participle retained)

  1. (transitive)
    1. Often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop.
      1. (education) To hold back (a pupil) instead of allowing them to advance to the next class or year; to keep back.
    2. Of a thing: to hold or keep (something) inside it; to contain.
      1. (medicine) To hold back (tissue or a substance, especially urine) in the body or a body organ.
    3. To hold (something) secure; to prevent (something) from becoming detached or separated.
    4. To keep (something) in control or possession; to continue having (something); to keep back.
      1. To keep (something) in the mind; to recall, to remember.
    5. To keep (something) in place or use, instead of removing or abolishing it; to preserve.
    6. To engage or hire (someone), especially temporarily.
      1. (chiefly law) To employ (someone, especially a lawyer) by paying a retainer (“fee one pays to reserve another person's time for services”); specifically, to engage (a barrister) by making an initial payment to secure their services if needed.
    7. To keep (someone) in one's pay or service; also, (chiefly historical) to maintain (someone) as a dependent or follower.
    8. (reflexive) To control or restrain (oneself); to exercise self-control over (oneself).
    9. (archaic) To keep (someone) in custody; to prevent (someone) from leaving.
    11. (Christianity) To declare (a sin) not forgiven.
      Antonym: remit
  2. (intransitive)
    1. To keep in control or possession; to continue having.
    2. To have the ability to keep something in the mind; to use the memory.
    3. (medicine) Of a body or body organ: to hold back tissue or a substance.
    4. (obsolete)
      1. To refrain from doing something.
      2. To be a dependent or follower to someone.
      3. (rare) To continue, to remain.
Conjugation
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Partly:

  • from Middle English retein, retain (“possession of a sum of money”) […]; and
  • from the verb (see etymology 1).

Noun

retain (plural retains) (obsolete)

  1. An act of holding or keeping something; a possession, a retention.
    Synonyms: (rare) retainal, retaining, retainment
  2. Synonym of retinue (“a group of attendants or servants, especially of someone considered important”)

References

Further reading

  • retention (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

  • Reitan, atrine, ratiné, retina, tanier, tearin', tin ear

Source: wiktionary.org