retained object: Meaning and Definition of

retained' ob'ject

Pronunciation: [key]
— Gram. Gram.
  1. an object in a passive construction identical with the direct or indirect object in the active construction from which it is derived, as the picture in I was shown the picture, which is also the direct object in the active construction (They) showed me the picture.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.