English
detinue
Detinue comes from Old French detenue, from detenir ‘to detain’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-1‘to stretch, extend’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tn̥eh₁yéti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō1‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō1‘hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdetineo2as detinere‘to hold or keep off or back, detain, check’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400detenir3‘to detain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400detenue3feminine singular past participle of detenir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500detenue3
- Englishtodaydetinue3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin detineo
- 2 Wiktionary, Old French detenir
- 3 Wiktionary, English detinue
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-Wiktionary, Latin detineo‘to stretch, extend’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tn̥eh₁yétiWiktionary, Latin detineoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēōWiktionary, Latin detineo‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneōWiktionary, Latin detineo‘hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdetineoWiktionary, Old French deteniras detinere‘to hold or keep off or back, detain, check’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400detenirWiktionary, English detinue‘to detain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400detenueWiktionary, English detinuefeminine singular past participle of detenir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500detenueWiktionary, English detinue
- EnglishtodaydetinueWiktionary, English detinue
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’
tone, entertainment, maintenance, tight, ton, tune, obtain, tender, tonic, tendon, tenacious, pertinent, pristine, countenance, tantra, tetanus, maintainer, tendinitis, hypotenuse, retentive, 62 more
through Proto-Italic *tenēō ‘to hold’
container, incontinent, 18 more
through Latin teneō ‘hold’
content, tennis, continue, contain, tenant, continuous, sustain, retain, continent, retention, tenor, tenacity, rein, sustenance, continuum, abstain, abstinence, tenement, tenet, pertain, incontinence, tenable, abstention, continence, abstinent, retinue, 20 more
through Latin detineo ‘to hold or keep off or back, detain, check’
through Old French detenir ‘to detain’
Today it means
noun A person or thing detained; a detainee.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “detinue”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin detineo, Old French detenir. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / detinue