Latin word root · Motion & Action

ten-: holding

ten- is a Latin root meaning “holding”. Learn its variants and explore 2 connected words.

Meaning and variants

Meaning: holding

Root forms: ten-, tent-, tin-, tain

Source word: teneō — to hold, have; to grasp

Word family and examples

• contents

  the things held or contained in something

• retain

  to continue to have; to keep possession of

Root connections help with vocabulary recall. They are not a complete etymological history, and a spelling match alone does not prove a relationship.

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