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   De·tain

   /dəˈtān/

   

   verb

   • 1. keep (someone) from proceeding; hold back: "she made to open the door, but he detained her" Similar delayhold upmake lateretardkeep (back)slow upslow downset backget bogged downhinderhamperimpedeobstruct
   • ▪ keep (someone) in official custody, typically for questioning about a crime or in politically sensitive situations: "she was detained without trial for two years"

   Word Origin late Middle English (in the sense ‘be afflicted with sickness or infirmity’): from Old French detenir, from a variant of Latin detinere, from de- ‘away, aside’ + tenere ‘to hold’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. detainment noun

   Scrabble Points: 7

   • D

     2

   • E

     1

   • T

     1

   • A

     1

   • I

     1

   • N

     1

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