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   De·ten·tion

   /dəˈten(t)SH(ə)n/

   

   noun

   • 1. the action of detaining someone or the state of being detained in official custody, especially as a political prisoner: "one of the effects of police detention is isolation from friends and family"
   • ▪ the punishment of being kept in school after hours: "he has made students fear after-school detention"

   Word Origin late Middle English (in the sense ‘withholding of what is claimed or due’): from late Latin detentio(n-), from Latin detinere ‘hold back’ (see detain).

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • D

     2

   • E

     1

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

   • N

     1

   • T

     1

   • I

     1

   • O

     1

   • N

     1

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