Definition of "retentivity" [re•ten•tiv•i•ty]

• The quality or state of being retentive. (noun)
• Capacity or power of retaining. (noun)
• Physics The capacity for a body to remain magnetized after the magnetizing field has ceased to exert an effect. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "One more time: I am for reproducibility, scrutiny, anal-retentivity, and so on in the ultimate goal of improving our scientific understanding."
• "In addition, lime has additional qualities, such as good workability, ability to accept movement without cracking, water retentivity and resistance to water penetration, thus making it more suitable than Portland cement for masonry work."
• "While I respect anyone with the patience and anal retentivity needed to hypermile for at least three days - in the same sense that I respect anyone who can conjugate Latin verbs - I predict this won't go well."