Retinue derives via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb retenir, meaning "to retain." Another word deriving from retenir is retainer, which means, among other things, "one who serves a person of high position or rank." In the 14th century, that high person of rank was usually a noble or a royal of some kind, and retinue referred to that person's collection of servants and companions. Nowadays, the word is often used with a bit of exaggeration to refer to the assistants, guards, publicists, and other people who accompany an actor or other high-profile individual in public. You might also hear such a collection called a suite or entourage, two other words derived from French.
the king and his retinue a pop star traveling with his retinue
Recent Examples on the WebThe bulk of available evidence hints that Drake’s great quest may not be in vain; data indicate most stars harbor a retinue of worlds. Lee Billings, Scientific American, 6 Sep. 2022 Before Rhaenyra and Criston Cole returned to the royal retinue, they were approached by the animal in the woods. Ryan Parker, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2022 By Viserys slaying the great beast (with most of the heavy lifting done by his royal retinue) the boy's birthright to the throne would be sealed. Ryan Parker, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2022 Her father found a rich widow in Charleston, and after his debts consumed her rice plantation, moved to New Orleans with a retinue of children and enslaved people — one of whom most likely gave birth to Miriam in 1836.New York Times, 29 Mar. 2022 The queen demanded that she and her retinue be accommodated at the castle for the night, which was her right. Anne Thériault, Longreads, 21 June 2022 On Sunday, Biden is expected to stop at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School, bringing the retinue of the world’s most powerful leader to a quiet grid of streets overhung with pecan trees and roamed by quarrelsome chickens. Teo Armus, Washington Post, 29 May 2022 Three weeks later, a retinue of 15 managers from Japanese company swooped down on the team’s homegrown Bitcoin farm in New Orleans. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2022 The Dassault Falcon 900 carried a retinue of Secret Service agents, other support staffers, Trump and some of his advisers, according to the people familiar with the incident.Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English retenue, from Anglo-French, from feminine of retenu, past participle of retenir to retain