detention

See also: détention

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French détention, from Latin detentio, detentionem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈtɛnʃən/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Noun

detention (countable and uncountable, plural detentions)

1. (uncountable) The act of detaining or the state of being detained.
   • 1945 January and February, T. F. Cameron, “Dock Working”, in Railway Magazine, page 12:

     In the case of rail-borne traffic, permission is given to each sender to load and forward his traffic so that it will be available for loading into the vessel with a minimum of detention to wagons, unless arrangements have been made for the traffic to be put into store to await the arrival of the ship.

   • 2023 November 15, Prof. Jim Wild, “This train was delayed because of bad weather in space”, in RAIL, number 996, page 30:

     " […] On the 18th of October, 1841, a very intense magnetic disturbance was recorded, and amongst other curious facts mentioned is that of the detention of the 10:05pm express train at Exeter for 16 minutes, as from the magnetic disturbance affecting the needles so powerfully, it was impossible to ascertain if the line was clear at Starcross. The superintendent at Exeter reported the next morning that someone was playing tricks with the instruments, and would not let them work."

2. (countable) A temporary state of custody or confinement.
   1. (law) Confinement of a prisoner awaiting trial.
   2. (pedagogy) A punishment given to a student for a minor infraction, typically requiring the student to report to a designated room during recess or outside of school hours to work on homework or perform busywork.

      be stuck in detention

3. (civil law) The bare physical control without the mental element of intention required for possession.

Synonyms

• (punishment given to a student for a minor infraction): DT, jug (Roman Catholicism)

Derived terms

• detention basin
• detention cell
• detention centre
• detention home
• detention officer
• detention pond
• detention warrant
• house of detention
• mandatory detention

 

Related terms

• detain

Translations

act or state

• Bulgarian: задържа́не n (zadǎržáne), арестува́не n (arestuváne)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 拘留 (zh) (jūliú), 扣押 (zh) (kòuyā)

• Danish: tilbageholdelse c
• Finnish: pidätys (fi); pidättäminen (fi) (act)
• French: détention (fr) f, arrestation (fr) f
• German: Haft (de) m, Gewahrsam (de) m or n
• Irish: coinneáil f
• Japanese: 拘留 (ja) (こうりゅう, kōryū), 拘置 (ja) (こうち, kōchi), 抑留 (ja) (よくりゅう, yokuryū)
• Korean: 구류 (ko) (guryu), 억류 (ko) (eongnyu)
• Maori: mauheretanga
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fengsling (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: fengsling f

• Occitan: detencion (oc) f
• Polish: detencja (pl) f
• Russian: задержа́ние (ru) n (zaderžánije), аре́ст (ru) m (arést)
• Swahili: kizuizini
• Tagalog: pagkabinbin
• Ukrainian: затримання n (zatrymannja)

custody of a prisoner awaiting trial

• Arabic: تَوْقِيف (tawqīf)
• Danish: anholdelse (da) c
• Finnish: pidätys (fi), aresti (fi)
• Maori: mauheretanga
• Russian: содержа́ние под стра́жей n (soderžánije pod strážej), аре́ст (ru) m (arést)
• Spanish: detención (es) f
• Swahili: kizuizini
• Swedish: häktning (sv) c
• Vietnamese: sự giam giữ, sự giam cầm, sự cầm tù

punishment given to a student for a minor infraction

• Danish: eftersidning c
• Finnish: jälki-istunto (fi)
• French: retenue (fr)
• German: Nachsitzen (de) n
• Norwegian: gjensitting m
• Russian: оставле́ние (ru) n (ostavlénije) (after classes)
• Spanish: detención (es) f
• Swahili: kizuizini
• Swedish: kvarsittning (sv) c
• Turkish: cezaya kalma
• Vietnamese: sự cấm túc

holding in one's control with no intention to possess

• Dutch: houderschap (nl) f, detentie (nl) f
• French: détention (fr) f
• German: Innehabung f, Detention f
• Italian: detenzione (it) f
• Polish: dzierżenie (pl) n
• Portuguese: detenção (pt) f
• Spanish: mera tenencia f
• Swedish: innehav (sv) n

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: hechtenis (nl) f
• French: détention (fr) f
• Icelandic: eftirseta
• Persian: بازداشتگاه (fa) (bâzdâšt-gâh)
• Polish: detencja (pl) f
• Tagalog: binbin, pagkabinbin, bimbin

Danish

Noun

detention c (singular definite detentionen, plural indefinite detentioner)

1. detention

Declension

Declension of detention

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	detention	detentionen	detentioner	detentionerne
genitive	detentions	detentionens	detentioners	detentionernes

Further reading

• “detention” in Den Danske Ordbog