2. rĕ-tento (-tempto), āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to try or attempt again, to reattempt (a poet. word of the Aug. per.): timide verba intermissa retentat, Ov. M. 1, 746: preces, id. ib. 14, 382: fila lyrae, id. ib. 5, 117: referoque manus iterumque retento, id. H.10,11: viam leti, id. M. 11, 792: studium fatale, id. Tr. 5, 12, 51: arma, Luc. 2, 514: memoriam meam, Sen. Ep. 72, 1: nec audent ea retentare, quorum vitia retractando patescunt, id. Brev. Vit. 10, 2: nec vana retentet spes Minyas, move or affect again, Val. Fl. 5, 679.
With inf.: saepe retentantem totas refringere vestes, Ov. M. 9, 208.