English
retinue
Retinue comes from Old French retenue, from retenir ‘retain’, 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 CEretineō2as retinēre‘to keep or hold back, detain, restrain, retain, confine, contain’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*retenīre2reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400retenir3‘retain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400retenue3past participle of retenir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500retenue3‘a small group or company of hirelings or people, following a notable person’
- Englishearliest quotation 1915retinue3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin retineo
- 2 Wiktionary, Old French retenir
- 3 Wiktionary, English retinue
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1915, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Spring in Town: “And not any longer as a king did Winter…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-Wiktionary, Latin retineo‘to stretch, extend’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tn̥eh₁yétiWiktionary, Latin retineoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēōWiktionary, Latin retineo‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneōWiktionary, Latin retineo‘hold’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEretineōWiktionary, Old French reteniras retinēre‘to keep or hold back, detain, restrain, retain, confine, contain’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*retenīreWiktionary, Old French retenirreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400retenirWiktionary, English retinue‘retain’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400retenueWiktionary, English retinuepast participle of retenir
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500retenueWiktionary, English retinue‘a small group or company of hirelings or people, following a notable person’
- Englishearliest quotation 1915retinueWiktionary, English retinue. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1915, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Spring in Town: “And not any longer as a king did Winter…”
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, 63 more
through Proto-Italic *tenēō ‘to hold’
container, incontinent, 19 more
through Latin teneō ‘hold’
content, tennis, continue, contain, tenant, continuous, sustain, continent, detention, tenor, tenacity, sustenance, continuum, abstain, abstinence, tenement, detain, tenet, pertain, incontinence, tenable, abstention, continence, abstinent, 21 more
through Latin retineō ‘to keep or hold back, detain, restrain,…’
Today it means
noun A group of attendants or servants, especially of someone considered important.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “retinue”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin retineo, Old French retenir. 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- / retinue