n.
Pronunciation: ' de-t ə n- ˌ (y)ü
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English detenewe, from Anglo-French detenue detention, from feminine of detenu, past participle of detenir to detain
Date: 15th century
1 : a common-law action for the recovery of a personal chattel wrongfully detained or of its value
2 : detention of something due especially : the unlawful detention of a personal chattel from another