Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Latin
Origin: retentio, from retinere; RETAIN

retention

 noun
     
Related topics: Physics
re‧ten‧tion [uncountable]
1 formal the act of keeping something
retention of
The UN will vote on the retention of sanctions against Iraq.
2 technicalHP the ability or tendency of something to hold liquid, heat etc within itself:
Many people with heart problems suffer from fluid retention.
3 the ability to keep something in your memory:
I have a real problem with retention of information.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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