retentive

What it means

1. Having power to retain.

   a soil that is highly retentive of rainwater

   2 more examples

   Nor airless dungeon, nor strong links of iron, Can be retentive to the strength of spirit.

   1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]

   Mr Carlyle smiled his indulgence privately. "My dear chap, you mustn't let your retentive memory of obscure happenings run away with you," he remarked wisely.

   1914, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados

2. apocopicslangAnal-retentive.

In a sentence

a soil that is highly retentive of rainwater

Where it comes from

1. Latinretentus
2. Medieval Latinretentivus
3. Old Frenchretentif
4. Middle Frenchrétentif
5. Englishretentive

Borrowed from Middle French rétentif, from Old French retentif, from Medieval Latin retentivus, from Latin retentus.