remain

English

Etymology

From Middle English remainen, borrowed from Old French remain-, stressed stem of remanoir, from Latin remaneō, maneō, from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to stay”).

Displaced native Middle English beliven, bliven (“to remain”) (from Old English belīfan (“to remain, stay”)) due to confluence with related Middle English beleven (“to leave behind”), with which it merged. More at beleave and belive.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈmeɪn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪn
• Hyphenation: re‧main

Noun

remain (plural remains)

1. (chiefly in the plural) That which is left; relic; remainder.
2. (in the plural) That which is left of a human being after the life is gone; relics; a dead body.
3. Posthumous works or productions, especially literary works.
4. (obsolete) State of remaining; stay.

Translations

That which is left; relic; remainder

• Danish: rest (da) c
• French: reste (fr) m
• Georgian: ნარჩენი (narčeni)
• Hebrew: זֵכֶר (he) m (zécher)
• Polish: pozostałości pl
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: resto (pt) m, resquício (pt) m
• Serbo-Croatian: ostatak (sh)
• Spanish: resto (es) m, restos (es) m pl
• Swedish: kvarvara n

That which is left of a being after its life is gone — see remains

The posthumous works or productions, especially literary works of one who is dead

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

State of remaining; stay

• Georgian: დარჩენა (darčena)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Venetian: star (vec)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• (deprecated template usage) German: Überrest (de) m (2), Überreste (de) m (3), sterbliche Überreste m (3)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• (deprecated template usage) Swedish: kvarblivande (1), kvarbliva (2), kvarlevor (sv) (3), kvarlåtenskap (sv) (4)

Verb

remain (third-person singular simple present remains, present participle remaining, simple past and past participle remained)

1. To stay behind while others withdraw; to be left after others have been removed or destroyed; to be left after a number or quantity has been subtracted or cut off; to be left as not included or comprised.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 6:12:

     Gather up the fragments that remain.

   • (Can we date this quote by John Locke and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     That […] remains to be proved.

2. To continue unchanged in place, form, or condition, or undiminished in quantity; to abide; to stay; to endure; to last.

   There was no food in the house, so I had to remain hungry.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 38:11:

     Remain a widow at thy father's house.

   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:

     We made an odd party before the arrival of the Ten, particularly when the Celebrity dropped in for lunch or dinner. He could not be induced to remain permanently at Mohair because Miss Trevor was at Asquith, but he appropriated a Hempstead cart from the Mohair stables and made the trip sometimes twice in a day.

   • 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:

     Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […].  Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […]  But the scandals kept coming, […]. A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul. Instead it offers fixes and patches.

3. To await; to be left to.
4. (copulative) To continue in a state of being.

   The light remained red for two full minutes.

Synonyms

• (to stay behind while others withdraw): linger, stay, tarry; See also Thesaurus:stay behind
• (to be left over after a portion is removed): rest, stay; See also Thesaurus:remain
• (to continue unchanged): endure, last, stay; See also Thesaurus:persist
• (to await; to be left to): await, bide, wait; See also Thesaurus:wait for
• (to continue in a state of being): stay
• belave

Derived terms

• remain to be seen

Translations

to stay behind while others withdraw

• Albanian: rri (sq), qëndroj (sq)
• Arabic: بَقِيَ (baqiya), مَكَثَ (makaṯa)
• Armenian: մնալ (hy) (mnal)
• Bashkir: ҡалыу (qalıw)
• Belarusian: застава́цца impf (zastavácca), заста́цца pf (zastácca)
• Bulgarian: оста́вам (bg) impf (ostávam), оста́на pf (ostána)
• Burmese: ကြွင်း (my) (krwang:), ကျန် (my) (kyan)
• Catalan: quedar-se (ca), restar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 留 (zh) (liú), 留下 (zh) (liúxià), 呆 (zh) (dāi), 剩 (zh) (shèng), (to be left over) 剩下 (zh) (shèngxia)

• Czech: zůstat (cs) pf, zbýt (cs) pf
• Danish: blive (da), forblive
• Dutch: blijven (nl), achterblijven (nl)
• Esperanto: resti
• Finnish: jäädä jäljelle, olla jäljellä
• French: rester (fr)
• Galician: quedar (gl)
• German: bleiben (de), (stay behind) zurückbleiben (de), (to be left over) übrigbleiben
• Greek: παραμένω (el) (paraméno)

  Ancient: μένω (ménō)

• Hebrew: נִשְׁאַר (nish'ár)
• Hindi: रहना (hi) (rahnā)
• Hungarian: marad (hu)
• Icelandic: dvelja
• Ingrian: jää’ä
• Italian: stare (it), restare (it), rimanere (it)
• Japanese: 残る (ja) (のこる, nokoru), 居残る (いのこる, inokoru), とどまる (ja) (todomaru), 留まる (ja) (とまる, tomaru)
• Karakhanid: قَلْماقْ (qalmāq)
• Khmer: ឋិត (km) (thət), នៅនឹង (nɨwnɨng)
• Korean: 머무르다 (ko) (meomureuda)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Lao: ຢູ່ (yū)
• Latin: sto (la), maneo (la), teneo (la), remaneo
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: останува impf (ostanuva), остане pf (ostane)
• Maori: rarau, toe, whakanānā
• North Frisian: (Mooring) bliwe, (Föhr-Amrum) bliiw, (Sylt) bliiv
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forbli

• Ottoman Turkish: قالمق (qalmaq)
• Persian: بازماندن (fa) (bâzmândan), ماندن (fa) (mândan)
• Polish: pozostawać (pl) impf, pozostać (pl) pf
• Portuguese: ficar (pt), permanecer (pt), sobrar (pt) (of things), restar (pt), remanescer (pt)
• Romanian: rămâne (ro)
• Russian: остава́ться (ru) impf (ostavátʹsja), оста́ться (ru) pf (ostátʹsja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: о̀стати pf

  Roman: òstati (sh) pf

• Slovak: zostať pf
• Slovene: ostati (sl) pf
• Spanish: quedarse (es), sobrar (es)
• Swedish: bli kvar, kvarbliva, stanna kvar, förbli (sv)
• Thai: อยู่ (th) (yùu), คงอยู่ (kong-yùu)
• Turkish: kalmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: залиша́тися impf (zalyšátysja), залиши́тися pf (zalyšýtysja), зостава́тися impf (zostavátysja), зоста́тися pf (zostátysja)
• Urdu: رہنا (rahnā)
• Vietnamese: ở lại (vi)
• Yiddish: בלײַבן (blaybn)
• Zazaki: menden

to be left over after a portion is removed

• Bashkir: ҡалыу (qalıw)
• Khmer: សល់ (km) (sɑl)
• Quechua: puchuy
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: остава́ться (ru) impf (ostavátʹsja), оста́ться (ru) pf (ostátʹsja)
• Spanish: sobrar (es), restar (es) (intransitive)

to continue unchanged

• Arabic: بَقِيَ (baqiya)
• Armenian: մնալ (hy) (mnal)
• Aromanian: armãn
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 逗留 (zh) (dòuliú)

• Czech: zůstat (cs)
• Dutch: blijven (nl), resteren (nl)
• Esperanto: resti
• Finnish: jäädä (fi), pysyä (fi)
• French: demeurer (fr), rester (fr)
• Galician: quedar (gl)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: bleiben (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: μένω (ménō)

• Istro-Romanian: rămăre
• Italian: rimanere (it)
• Japanese: 残る (ja) (のこる, nokoru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Khmer: នៅ (km) (nɨw)
• Korean: 머무르다 (ko) (meomureuda)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• Latin: sto (la), maneo (la), sedeo
• Maori: waiho
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Ngazidja Comorian: usalia
• Persian: پایداشتن (pâydštan), استوار بودن (ostovâr budan)
• Portuguese: permanecer (pt), continuar (pt)
• Romanian: rămâne (ro)
• Russian: остава́ться (ru) impf (ostavátʹsja), оста́ться (ru) pf (ostátʹsja)
• Slovene: obstati
• Spanish: permanecer (es)
• Swedish: återstå (sv), stanna kvar, kvarstå (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: בלײַבן (blaybn)

to await; to be left to

• Esperanto: resti
• Kurdish:

  Sorani:

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: esperar (pt)
• Swedish: kvarlämnas

to continue in a state of being

• Finnish: pysyä (fi)
• German: bleiben (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: μένω (ménō)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: continuar (es), permanecer (es)
• Swedish: förbli (sv), förbliva (sv) (dated), fortsätta att vara
• Yiddish: בלײַבן (blaybn)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} mbetur (sq), ^{(please verify)} tepruar, ^{(please verify)} ngelur (sq)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} restar (es), ^{(please verify)} sobrar (es), estar (es), quedar (es)

Anagrams

• Armine, Mainer, Marine, Marnie, Merina, Minear, Reiman, Rieman, airmen, mainer, marine