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Trop., to hold in check, keep within bounds, to restrain, check, repress, etc.: hoc servi esse officium reor, retinere at salutem (erum), Plaut. Aul. 4, 1, 8: liberos retinere, Ter. Ad. 1, 1, 33; Cic. Rep. 2, 25, 46; cf.: moderantem cursum atque in suā potestate retinentem, id. ib. 1, 29, 45: gaudia, Ov. M. 12, 285: rabiem, id. ib. 3, 566: verba dolore, id. ib. 10, 474: aliquem in officio, Cic. Rosc. Am. 25, 70: animos sociorum in fide, Liv. 25, 40: retineri nequeo quin dicam ea, quae promeres, Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 15 (cf. supra, A.): quae (varietas) vehementer animos hominum in legendo tuo scripto retinere possit . . . ordo ipse annalium mediocriter nos retinet, binds, enchains, Cic. Fam. 5, 12, 4 and 5: (picus) Ore suo volucres vagas retinere solebat, Ov. M. 14, 340: lingua retenta metu, id. H. 11, 82: retinentibus vobis, erumperem, Curt. 6, 3, 5.
(With the signif. of the verb predominant.) To hold fast, keep, retain, preserve, maintain, etc. (freq. only since the class. per.; esp. freq. in the trop. signif.; cf. obtineo). Lit.: potius mansuetudine et innocentiā imperatoris provinciam quam vi militum aut benignitate deorum retentam atque conservatam esse, Cato ap. Cic. Fam. 15, 5, 2: oppidum, Caes. B. G. 7, 21 fin.: arces (Minerva), to preserve, protect, Cat. 64, 8: id egit, ut amicos observantiā, rem parsimoniā retineret, Cic. Quint. 18, 59; cf.: retinere servareque amicos, Hor. S. 1, 1, 89: summos cum infimis pari jure, Cic. Off. 2, 12, 41: Aegyptum, Curt. 4, 1, 30: regionem, id. 6, 5, 21: neque virtutem qui habet virtute retinetur in vitā, Cic. Fin. 3, 18, 61 B. and K.: fortunam citius reperias quam retineas, Publ. Syr. 168 Rib.
Trop.: retinete (fidem), post factum ut laetemini, Plaut. Rud. prol. 30: existimo jus augurum . . . rei publicae causā conservatum ac retentum, Cic. Div. 2, 35, 75; so, jus suum, id. Verr. 2, 3, 14, § 37; Caes. B. C. 1, 5: statum suum, Cic. Rep. 2, 23, 43: pristinam virtutem, Caes. B. G. 5, 48, 91; cf.: vestigium pristinae dignitatis, Cic. Sull. 32, 91: officium, id. Off. 3, 29, 105: justitiam (with colere), id. ib. 2, 12, 42 Beier; id. Inv. 1, 1, 3: caritatem in pastores, id. Lael. 19, 70: utilitatem in amicitiā et fidem, id. ib. 24, 88: hunc morem usque adhuc, id. Rep. 2, 20, 36; cf. id. ib. 2, 9, 16: de finibus retentae defensaeque sententiae, id. Tusc. 5, 30, 84: gravitatem retinere, iracundiam pellere, id. Off. 1, 38, 137: ferociam animi in vultu, Sall. C. 61, 4: memoriam suae pristinae virtutis, tot secundissimorum proeliorum, Caes. B. G. 2, 21; 7, 62: aliquid memoriā, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 7, 19; id. Rosc. Am. 12, 33: commissa (aures), Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 70 et saep.: ut Palaemo et Telamo et Plato dicerentur, retinuerunt, Quint. 1, 5, 60.
With ne, Cic. Rep. 2, 32, 56.
Post-class. for memoriā retinere, to keep in mind, remember: sive ille Hasdrubal est, sive quis alius, non retineo, Gell. 17, 9, 16.—With object-clause: retineo me dixisse, Dig. 35, 1, 92 init.— Hence, rĕtĭnens, entis, P. a., holding fast, tenacious, observant of any thing (class.; cf. tenax); constr. with gen.: homo sui juris dignitatisque retinens, Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 3, § 11: nimium equestris juris et libertatis, id. Planc. 23, 55: avitae nobilitatis, Tac. A. 2, 38 fin.: modestiae, id. ib. 5, 11: Seleuci conditoris (civitas), i. e. retaining his institutions, id. ib. 6, 42; cf.: antiqui moris, id. ib. 16, 5 et saep.
Sup.: proprietatum in verbis retinentissimus, Gell. 10, 20, 10.