RETA'INER, noun 1. One who retains; as an executor, who retains a debt due from the testator. 2. One who is kept in service; an attendant; as the retainers of the ancient princes and nobility. 3. An adherent; a dependant; a hanger on. 4. A servant, not a domestic, but occasionally attending and wearing his master's livery. 5. Among lawyers, a fee paid to engage a lawyer or counselor to maintain a cause. 6. The act of keeping dependents, or being in dependence.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI