retainer









retainer


noun

  1. a person or thing that retains.
  2. a servant or attendant who has served a family for many years.
  3. Also called cage, separator. Machinery. a ring separating, and moving with, balls or rollers in a bearing.
  4. Orthodontics.
    1. a fixed or removable device worn in the mouth to hold the teeth in their new position during the adaptive period after straightening appliances have been removed.
    2. Prosthodontics.a part on a bridge or the like by which the bridge is attached to the natural teeth.

noun

  1. the act of retaining in one’s service.
  2. the fact of being so retained.
  3. a fee paid to secure services, as of a lawyer.

noun

  1. history a supporter or dependant of a person of rank, esp a soldier
  2. a servant, esp one who has been with a family for a long time
  3. a clip, frame, or similar device that prevents a part of a machine, engine, etc, from moving
  4. a dental appliance for holding a loose tooth or prosthetic device in position
  5. a fee paid in advance to secure first option on the services of a barrister, jockey, etc
  6. a reduced rent paid for a flat, room, etc, during absence to reserve it for future use
n.1

“fee to secure services,” mid-15c., originally “act of keeping for oneself” from retain, or perhaps from or influenced by Middle French retenir, infinitive used as a noun. Meaning “fee paid to an attorney to secure his services” is from 1818.

n.2

“servant,” 1530s, agent noun from retain (v.). Also “one who retains or holds” (1540s). Meaning “dental structure used to hold a bridge in place” is recorded from 1887.

n.

  1. One that retains, as a device, frame, or groove that restrains or guides, especially for a prosthesis.
  2. An appliance used to hold teeth in position after orthodontic treatment.
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