English → Latin
“detain” in Latin
teneōto hold, have; to grasp; to possess, occupy, control; to watch, guard, maintain, defend; to retain, keepdētineōto hold or keep off or back, detain, check; to delay, hinder, lengthen; occupy, engage, stopretineōto keep or hold back, detain, restrain, retain, confine, contain; delay; to hold in check, repress, check, stop, stay; tdēprehendōto take away, seize, snatch, catch; to overtake; to surprise, apprehend, detect, find out, discovertardōto check or retard, hinder, impede or delay; to hesitateretardōto hinder, delay, detain, impede or retardinclūdōto shut up or in, confine, enclose, imprison, keep in; to obstruct, restrain, hinder; to limit, controlcondōto put together; to build, establish; form, fashion; make, construct; to put away, store or treasure up; preserve; intercomprehendōto lay hold of something on all sides; take or catch hold of, grasp, grip; to seize upon in a hostile manner, lay hold otempestāsportion, point, or space of time; time, season, period; weather (good or bad); storm, tempest, gale
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
detain
tenere (to keep at a place): detinere (to hold anything or anybody back, so that it or he cannot reach its destination; e.g., naves tempestatibus detinentur): retinere (to keep back; to prevent a person or thing from proceeding further; e.g., one who wishes to set out on a journey, a visitor, etc.; being detained by a storm, by disturbances in the city, tempestate, urbano motu retentus, Caes.; also to keep what belongs to another, retinere alienum): deprehendere (to seize and keep; e.g., to detain letters, ships, etc.): tardare, retardare (to retard the progress of a person or thing; PROP., and figuratively): to detain a person, profecturum detinere; alicujus profectionem tardare (to prevent a person’s setting out at the time he wishes): retardare aliquem in via; retardare alicujus iter (to detain him after he has set out): unless he has been detained, nisi quid impedimenti in via passus est. I am detained by adverse winds, ventis detineor (in loco); venti me tardant; tempestate retineor: to detain anybody any where, aliquem aliquo loco retinere or detinere, or continere, or cohibere: to be detained by business, multis occupationibus detineri.
To keep in custody, aliquem custodia asservare; aliquem in custodiam dare, or includere, or condere; comprehendere: to be detained (in custody), in custodia haberi or servari, custodia teneri or retineri.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for detain?
- The usual Latin words for “detain” are teneō, dētineō, retineō; also dēprehendō, tardō, retardō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.