'value-retaining' is a modern English compound formed from the noun 'value' + the present participle 'retaining' (from the verb 'retain'), meaning 'holding or preserving value'.

'value' comes via Old French 'valeur' from Latin 'valēre' meaning 'to be strong, to have worth'; 'retain' comes from Old French 'retenir' from Latin 'retinēre' (re- + tenēre/tenere 'to hold'). These elements were combined in Modern English to form the descriptive compound 'value-retaining'.

Originally the components meant 'worth' (value) and 'to hold' (retain); combined in Modern English they convey 'able to hold/keep worth', a meaning that has remained stable.