de|tain

de|tain «dih TAYN», transitive verb.

1. to keep from going; hold back; delay; retard: »

The heavy traffic detained us for almost an hour. I was detained…partly by the rain, and partly by company that I liked very much (William Cobbett).

2. to keep from going away; hold as a prisoner: »

The police detained the suspected thief for questioning.

SYNONYM(S): confine.

3. Archaic. to withhold.

╂[< Old French detenir < Latin dētinēre < dē- from, away + tenēre hold]

–de|tain´ing|ly, adverb.