Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

detainer

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.90 in modern English

Syllables: de-tain-er
IPA

9

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The right to keep a person, or a person's goods or property, against his will; a type of custody.

noun

One who detains.

Example Sentences

"On Monday, the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency placed a similar detainer on Melvin Jovel, 18, who on Sunday was the sixth person to be arrested in the case."
"Through January, immigration authorities placed detainers on an additional 1,468 people — giving federal agents the right to hold suspects who are released from jail. […] Scott Weber, the field office director for the enforcement office in Newark, said that in roughly a third of the cases, his agency would file a detainer or immigration charges; another third involved individuals who could be deported after their court cases; and the rest might be United States citizens or legal residents."
"Officer Torres’s lawyer, Paul S. Missan, said on Saturday that he had been told by a prison official in Pennsylvania that a detainer was lodged against his client, meaning he was likely to face federal charges."
"[…] he chatted gaily with his fair detainer, showing no inclination to escape from the bondage in which she sought to retain him."

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman detener, from Old French detenir. By surface analysis, detain + -er (action noun suffix). First attested in the 17th century.

Origin

Source language: Old French
First known use: First attested in the 17th century

Word Breakdown

Root: detenir

Inflected Forms

detainers (plural)

Phrases

unlawful detainer

Rhymes With

trainer container manor entertainer brainer retainer planar strainer explainer maintainer planer plainer

Questions

What does detainer mean?: The right to keep a person, or a person's goods or property, against his will; a type of custody.
Where does detainer come from?: It is traced to Old French. First known use: First attested in the 17th century.

How to pronounce detainer

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