Overretaining

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Holding onto something beyond the point where it is useful, needed, or appropriate to keep it
2. Keeping or retaining items, staff, or data for a period longer than is necessary or advisable
3. Storing or hanging on to material well past the time it should have been released or discarded

Etymology: "Retain" came into English from Old French "retenir," which descends from Latin "retinere," literally "to hold back." The Latin combines "re-" (back) with "tenere" (to hold), so the word's original picture is of something being kept from moving on. "Over-" is an older native element from Old English "ofer," meaning "above" or "beyond," which English uses to mark excess, as in "overeating." "Overretaining" therefore means keeping something beyond what is needed or appropriate. The "-ing" ending makes it a participle or gerund, a form of the verb "overretain," which is a transparent formation with no separate history of its own.