retinebant

Retinebant is a Latin verb form—the imperfect indicative active of retinere, meaning to hold back, retain, or keep back. It is third-person plural, so it translates as “they were holding back” or “they retained.” Retinere is a regular second-conjugation verb; its principal parts are retineo, retinere, retinui, retentum. The imperfect is formed from the present stem retine- with the thematic suffix -bant, giving retinebant. Related imperfect forms include retinebam, retinebas, retinebat, retinebamus, retinebatis, retinebant.

In use, retinebant commonly describes ongoing past action in narrative or description. It can denote physical restraint—holding back a quantity, a gate, or an army—or figurative restraint, such as withholding consent, permission, or a decision. The verb often takes a direct object in the accusative, as in hostes arcem retinebant, “the enemies were holding the fortress.” Because it is a regular second-conjugation verb, its forms follow standard patterns for tense and person, making it straightforward to recognize in classical Latin texts.

Etymology traces retinere to re- “back” plus tenēre “to hold,” conveying the sense of keeping back or detaining. The form retinebant appears throughout Latin literature and is typical of past-tense narration, contrasting with the perfect or pluperfect forms that signal completed actions.

Example: Hostes arcem retinebant. Translation: The enemies were holding the fortress.