retinue

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(rĕt'n-ū', -yū') pronunciation
n.
The retainers or attendants accompanying a high-ranking person.

[Middle English retenue, from Old French, from feminine past participle of retenir, to retain. See retain.]


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noun

    A group of attendants or followers: entourage, following, suite, train. See over/under.

Word Tutor:

retinue

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: The body of persons who attend to a person of importance in travel or public appearance.

pronunciation The movie star and her retinue arrived yesterday to shoot the movie.

Tutor's tip: This word was used in the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals.

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  See crossword solutions for the clue Retinue.

A retinue is a body of persons "retained" in the service of a noble or royal personage, a suite (literal French meaning: what follows) of "retainers".

Contents

Etymology

The word, recorded in English since circa 1375, stems from Old French retenue, itself from retenir, from Latin retenere, hold back, retain.

Employment

Such retainers were not necessarily in the domestic service or otherwise normally close to the presence of their lord, but also include others who wore his livery (a kind of uniform, in distinctive colours) and claimed his protection, such as musicians and private teachers.

Some were a source of trouble and abuse in the 15th and early 16th century. Often their real importance was very different from their rank: on one hand, sinecures and supernumerary appointments allowed enjoying benefits without performing full service. On the other hand, 'having the ear' of the master can allow one to act as a confidant in an informal capacity; or in some cases, even as a spy under the guise of an innocent musician.

  • Sometimes used in the context meaning the supporters or followers of a medieval knight.

Contrast

A retinue is sometimes confused with an entourage, which is the far less stable body of people that followed whether or not they were - or claimed to be - retained or protected by the prominent person they served.

For example, a prince's entourage would not only include professional courtiers, but also various bishops, clerics and other clerks, senior members of the aristocracy and other more occasional advisers, translators et cetera, who would often not be part of a sovereign's (more permanent) retinue, even though that could comprise a surprising variety of functions, from menial to lofty.

See also

Sources

External links


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Dansk (Danish)
n. - følge

Nederlands (Dutch)
gevolg

Français (French)
n. - suite (hum), escorte

Deutsch (German)
n. - Gefolge

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ακολουθία, συνοδεία (επισήμου προσώπου), ακόλουθοι

Italiano (Italian)
seguito

Português (Portuguese)
n. - séquito (m), comitiva (f)

Русский (Russian)
свита, эскорт

Español (Spanish)
n. - séquito, comitiva

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - följe

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
随行人员, 扈从

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 隨行人員, 扈從

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 종자, 수행원

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 従者たち

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الحاشيه, بطانه الأمير أو الملك‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פמליה, מלווים‬


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