Retentive
/rɪˈtɛn.tɪv/noun
Able to keep, hold, or remember things well.
Did you know?Retentive comes from Latin retentivus, from retentus, the past participle of retinēre, meaning “to hold back” or “keep back,” so the word’s core idea is not memory alone but containment.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
“The ancient root *ten- meant “to stretch” or “hold” in a way that later fed many Latin words of grasping and keeping.”
Latin
Latin
tenēre
““to hold, keep, or grasp””
Latin
Latin
retinēre
““to hold back, keep back, retain””
Late Latin
Latin
retentīvus
““serving to retain; holding back””
Middle English
English
retentif
““having the power to retain or keep””
Modern English
English
retentive
“Able to hold, keep, or remember well”