retentive
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Middle French rétentif, from Old French retentif, from Medieval Latin retentivus, from Latin retentus.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
retentive (comparative more retentive, superlative most retentive)
- Having power to retain
- a retentive memory
- a soil that is highly retentive of rainwater
- 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
- Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron, Can be retentive to the strength of spirit.
- (slang, apocope) anal-retentive
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Noun edit
retentive (plural retentives)
- (obsolete) That which retains or confines; a restraint.
References edit
- “retentive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Italian edit
Adjective edit
retentive