Detained

How to spell detained

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce detained

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does detained mean?

1. verbKept in official custody or confinement, especially by police or border authorities.
2. verbKept from leaving or proceeding; held up or delayed.

Detained in a sentence

• The suspect was detained at the station for further questioning.

• She was detained at the office by a long meeting and missed her train.

• Two travellers were detained at the border while their documents were checked.

• The courier was detained in heavy traffic for nearly an hour.

Where does detained come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin detinere, which combined de-, meaning 'away' or 'down', with tenere, meaning 'to hold'. The literal sense was therefore 'to hold back' or 'keep away', and that core idea of holding someone in place survives in every modern use. English took the word through Old French detenir in the 1300s, and the familiar -tain spelling reflects the same tenere root that surfaces in 'retain', 'contain', and 'maintain'. The added -ed simply marks it as past tense or as a past participle. A useful memory hook is that nothing is 'detained' for long without being held, so picture the 'tain' as a grip that keeps the spelling steady.

How the word is built

• de- (down, away)
• tain (from Latin tenere: to hold)
• -ed (past tense/participle suffix)