Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “retenir” come from?

retenir (Middle French) comes from Old French retenir, from Latin retinīre, from Latin retinēre, from Latin rĕ-, from Latin prōdūcō, from Latin prō-, from Proto-Italic *pro-, from Proto-Indo-European pro- — passed , crossed.

retenir (Middle French): to keep; to retain

Definitions

  1. to keep; to retain

Ancestry of “retenir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchretenirto keep; to retain
2Latinretinīre—
3Latinretinēre—
4Latinrĕ-—
5Latinprōdūcō—
6Latinprō-—
7Proto-Italic*pro-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “retenir”

  • retenir
  • reține
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →