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Origin and history of retainer

retainer(n.1)

[fee to secure services] mid-15c., "act of keeping for oneself, an authorized retention (of dues, etc.)," an agent noun from retain (v.), or perhaps from or influenced by French retenir, infinitive used as a noun. Meaning "a retaining fee, fee paid to an attorney or barrister to secure his services" is from 1818. The general sense of "sum paid to secure special services" is from 1859.

retainer(n.2)

[one kept in service] 1530s, "dependent or follower of a person of rank or position," agent noun from retain (v.). Also used in the general sense of "one who or that which retains or holds" (1540s). Meaning "dental structure used to hold a bridge in place" is recorded from 1887.

also from 1530s

Entries linking to retainer

retain(v.)

late 14c., "continue keeping of, keep possession of, keep attached to one's person;" early 15c., "hold back, restrain" (a sense now obsolete); from Old French retenir "keep, retain; take into feudal service; hold back; remember" (12c.), from Latin retinere "hold back, keep back, detain, restrain," from re- "back" (see re-) + tenere "to hold" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch").

The meaning "to engage to keep (another) attached to one's person, keep in service" is from mid-15c.; specifically of lawyers from 1540s. Meaning "keep in the mind, preserve knowledge or an idea of" is from c. 1500. Related: Retained; retaining.

waiver(n.)

"act of waiving," 1620s (but in modern use often short for waiver clause); from Anglo-French legal usage of infinitive as a noun (see waive). The specific sports club sense of waivers is recorded from 1907, in baseball (waiver clause is by 1894).

Other survivals of noun use of infinitives in Anglo-French legalese include disclaimer, merger, rejoinder, misnomer, ouster, retainer, attainder.

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    consideration
    mid-14c., consideracioun, "a beholding, looking at," also "a keeping in mind," also "contemplation, reflection," from Old French consideracion (12c., Modern French considération) and directly from Latin considerationem (nominative consideratio) "consideration, contemplation, refl
    servant
    c. 1200, servaunt, "male or female personal or domestic attendant, one owing duty of service to a master or lord, one employed by another and subject to his orders," from Old French servant "servant; foot-soldier," noun use of servant "serving, waiting," present participle of ser
    vassal
    lord," from Old French vassal "subject, subordinate, servant" (12c.), from Medieval Latin vassallus "manservant, domestic, retainer...
    heriot
    An Anglo-Saxon service of weapons, loaned by the lord to his retainer and repayable to him upon the retainer's death; sense...
    official
    From mid-14c. as "a domestic retainer in a household;" the meaning "person in charge of some public work or duty, one holding...
    clientele
    Latin clientela "relationship between dependent and patron; body of clients," from clientem (nominative cliens, "follower, retainer...
    officer
    In Middle English also "a servant, a retainer of a great household; an official at court" (late 14c.)....From late 14c. as "a military retainer," but the modern military sense of "one who holds a commission in the army or navy...
    domestic
    early 15c., "prepared or made in the house," from Old French domestique (14c.) and directly from Latin domesticus "belonging to the household," from domus "house," from PIE *dom-o- "house," from root *dem- "house, household." From 1610s as "relating to or belonging to the home or
    familiar
    mid-14c., "intimate, very friendly, on a family footing," from Old French famelier "related; friendly," from Latin familiaris "domestic, private, belonging to a family, of a household;" also "familiar, intimate, friendly," a dissimilation of *familialis, from familia (see family)
    scullion
    "low-ranking domestic servant who performs menial kitchen tasks," late 15c., sculioun, scwlioun, perhaps, with substitution of suffix, from Anglo-French sculier, a variant of Old French escuelier, from escouve "broom, twig," from Latin scopa (plural scopæ) "broom," related to sca

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