Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *haldaną
Proto-West Germanic *haldan
Old English healdan
Middle English holden
English hold
Derived from Middle English holden, derived from Old English healdan, derived from Proto-West Germanic *haldan, derived from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to tend, herd”), maybe derived from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to drive”). Doublet of halt.
Cognates
*West Frisian hâlde
*Low German holden, holen
*Dutch houden
*German halten
*Danish
*Norwegian Bokmål holde
*Norwegian Nynorsk halda.
Compare Latin celer (“quick”), Tocharian B käl- (“to goad, drive”), Ancient Greek κέλλω (kéllō, “to drive”), Sanskrit कलयति (kalayati, “to impel”).
Meanings
A grasp or grip.
Keep a firm hold on the handlebars.
Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
An act or instance of holding.
Can I have a hold of the baby?
A place where animals are held for safety
An order that something is to be reserved or delayed, limiting or preventing how it can be dealt with.
Because there were no “launch commit criteria” regarding surface booster temperatures that might cause a hold on the launch, the ice team did not report the temperatures to the launch controllers. 2008, R. Michael Gordon, The Space Shuttle Program: How NASA Lost Its Way, page 98:
Senator X placed a hold on the bill, then went to the library and placed a hold on a book.
Something reserved or kept.
We have a hold here for you.
Power over someone or something.
War has a hold on our cultural imaginations as an inevitable force, it is peace that has no benefactor. 2013, Wim Wenders, Mary Zournazi, Inventing Peace: A Dialogue on Perception, →ISBN, page 107:
The fad has gained a sure hold on every teenager.
The Judge accepts the payment, the law no longer has a hold on you, and therefore you are free to walk out of the court a free man or woman. 2008, Christopher Clarke-Milton, Dawn of the Messiah - Book 1, →ISBN, page 199:
The ability to persist.
This year I slept and woke with pain,
I almost wish’d no more to wake,
And that my hold on life would break
Before I heard those bells again: […] 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXVIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 45:
Despite their seemingly strong hold on life, as indicated by the persistence of movement in decapitation tests, rattlers are relatively frail creatures and are easily killed. 1982, Laurence Monroe Klauber, Karen Harvey McClung, Rattlesnakes, Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence, →ISBN, page 48:
The property of maintaining the shape of styled hair.
Sculpturing gels provide stiffer hold than styling gels, which provide better hold than mousses. 2004, Zoe Diana Draelos, Hair Care: An Illustrated Dermatologic Handbook, page 221:
(qualifier:self-defense) A position or grip used to control the opponent.
He got him in a tight hold and pinned him to the mat.
An exercise involving holding a position for a set time
The percentage the house wins on a gamble, the house or bookmaker's hold.
The House Hold on the game is 10,000, this is the amount of decision or risk the house wishes to assume.
The wager amount, the total hold.
As of Monday night the total Melbourne Cup hold was $848,015
An instance of holding one's service game, as opposed to being broken.
The part of an object one is intended to grasp, or anything one can use for grasping with hands or feet.
So I felt my way down the passage back to the vault, and recked not of the darkness, nor of Blackbeard and his crew, if only I could lay my lips to liquor. Thus I groped about the barrels till near the top of the stack my hand struck on the spile of a keg, and drawing it, I got my mouth to the hold. [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:
The beginner will instinctively try to stick his toe straight in in a foot hold, which is very tiring on the calf muscles. 1995, Turlough Johnston, Madeleine Halldén, Rock Climbing Basics, →ISBN, page 86:
A fruit machine feature allowing one or more of the reels to remain fixed while the others spin.
(dated) A pause facility.
SCREEN 5 — Perhaps the toughest — going like the clappers sometimes works but generally you'll have to be smarter than that. If things get a little too hectic and you don't even have time to reach the HOLD key, try taking a short rest below the top of the stairs. 1987?, Imagine Software, Legend of Kage (video game instruction leaflet)
A hold facility is available; H holds, and S restarts. 1983, New Generation Software, Knot in 3D (video game instruction leaflet)
The queueing system on telephones and similar communication systems which maintains a connection when all lines are busy.
Given that there is an average on-hold time of more than five minutes while enquiries are being dealt with, the telephone hold system provided the best opportunity. 2003, Daniel Jackson, Paul Fulberg, Sonic Branding: An Essential Guide to the Art and Science of Sonic Branding, Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, page 6:
Even the "on-hold" messages on Southwest's telephone system are humorous, ensuring anyone inconvenienced by the hold is entertained. 2005, Lorraine Grubbs-West, Lessons in Loyalty: How Southwest Airlines Does it : an Insider's View, CornerStone Leadership Inst, →ISBN, page 56:
Note. After the device downloads its new configuration file, we can test placing a call on hold and the generic hold music will be heard. 2012, Tanner Ezell, Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8: Expert Administration Cookbook, Packt Publishing Ltd, →ISBN:
A statistic awarded to a relief pitcher who is not still pitching at the end of the game and who records at least one out and maintains a lead for his team.
A region of airspace reserved for aircraft being kept in a holding pattern.
Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *haldaną
Proto-West Germanic *haldan
Old English healdan
Middle English holden
English hold
Derived from Middle English holden, derived from Old English healdan, derived from Proto-West Germanic *haldan, derived from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to tend, herd”), maybe derived from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to drive”). Doublet of halt.
Cognates
*West Frisian hâlde
*Low German holden, holen
*Dutch houden
*German halten
*Danish
*Norwegian Bokmål holde
*Norwegian Nynorsk halda.
Compare Latin celer (“quick”), Tocharian B käl- (“to goad, drive”), Ancient Greek κέλλω (kéllō, “to drive”), Sanskrit कलयति (kalayati, “to impel”).
Meanings
(transitive) To grasp or grip.
Hold the pencil like this.
The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone,[…]. Scribes, illuminators, and scholars held such stones directly over manuscript pages as an aid in seeing what was being written, drawn, or read. 2013 September-October, Henry Petroski, “The Evolution of Eyeglasses”, in American Scientist:
But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…]. 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
The slightest effort made the patient cough. He would stand leaning on a stick and holding a hand to his side, and when the paroxysm had passed it left him shaking. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
(transitive) To contain or store.
This package holds six bottles.
(transitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To have and keep possession of something.
Hold my coat for me.
The general ordered the colonel to hold his position at all costs.
She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party. 2011 December 14, Angelique Chrisafis, “Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism”, in Guardian:
(transitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To reserve.
Hold a table for us at 7:00.
(transitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To cause to wait or delay.
Hold the elevator.
(transitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To halt or delay (medication) temporarily.
Patients who test positive for COVID-19 infection should be advised to hold their biologic dose until their infection clears. 2020 June, Nicholas D. Brownstone, Quinn G. Thibodeaux, Vidhatha D. Reddy, Bridget A. Myers, Stephanie Y. Chan, Tina Bhutani, Wilson Liao, “Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and Biologic Therapy in Psoriasis: Infection Risk and Patient Counseling in Uncertain Times”, in Dermatology and Therapy, volume 10, →DOI, page 346:
(transitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To detain.
Hold the suspect in this cell.
(copulative, intransitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To be or remain valid; to apply (usually in the third person).
Free speech is a basic human right that holds even during a state of emergency. 2021 July 20, Masayuki Yuda, “Foodpanda faces backlash after calling Thai protest 'terrorism'”, in Nikkei Asia, Nikkei Inc, retrieved 20 Jul 2021:
to hold true
I remember, before the Dwarf left the Queen, he followed us one day into thoſe gardens, and my Nurſe having ſet me down, he and I being cloſe together, near ſome Dwarf Apple trees, I muſt need ſhew my Wit, by a ſilly Alluſion between him and the Trees, which happens to hold in their Language as it doth in ours. 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), pages 226–227:
The proposition holds.
The rule holds in land as well as all other commodities. 1691, [John Locke], Some Considerations of the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest, and Raising the Value of Money. […], London: […] Awnsham and John Churchill, […], published 1692, →OCLC:
(copulative, intransitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To keep oneself in a particular state.
Mother[…]considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, from which every Kensingtonian held aloof, except on the conventional tip-and-run excursions in pursuit of shopping, tea and theatres. 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 2, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
to hold firm
(transitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To impose restraint upon; to limit in motion or action; to bind legally or morally; to confine; to restrain.
He hath not sufficient judgment and self-command to hold his tongue. 1856 February, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “Oliver Goldsmith”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, →OCLC:
Death! what do'st? O, hold thy blow. 1646, Richard Crashaw, Vpon the Death of Mr. Herrys:
We cannot hold mortality's strong hand. 1623, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King John (Act iv, scene 2):
(transitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To bear, carry, or manage.
Hold your head high.
Let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper . 1595, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream:
He holds himself proudly erect.
(imperative, intransitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ Not to move; to halt; to stop.
Lay on, Macduff, and damned him that first cries hold, enough! 1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Macbeth:
(intransitive) To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ Not to give way; not to part or become separated; to remain unbroken or unsubdued.
Our force by land hath nobly held. 1623, William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra:
The canvas was punctured by the little balls, but held. 2015, Karl W Heffelfinger, Headlong Into Hell:
To maintain or keep to a position or state. ▸ To remain continent; to control an excretory bodily function.
to hold one's breath
to hold one's bladder
(transitive) To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions. ▸ To maintain, to consider, to opine.
She holds that passive index funds beat actively managed ones: she says that "set it and forget it," when done right, beats playing the market as a gambler.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 1776, Thomas Jefferson et al., United States Declaration of Independence:
In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned. But he had then none of the oddities and mannerisms which I hold to be inseparable from genius, and which struck my attention in after days when I came in contact with the Celebrity. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
It's a terrible thought / To have and hold 2023, Sufjan Stevens, “Javelin (To Have and To Hold)”, in Javelin:
He neuer hild but gracious thoughts of vvomen, yeat, I vvinne, / The fayreſt She he euer ſavv might quit his thoughts of ſinne. 1602, William Warner, “The Seventh Booke. Chapter XXXVI.”, in Albions England. A Continued Historie of the Same Kingdome, from the Originals of the First Inhabitants thereof: […], 5th edition, London: […] Edm[und] Bollifant for George Potter, […], →OCLC, page 173:
(transitive) To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions. ▸ To bind (someone) to a consequence of his or her actions.
I'll hold him to that promise.
You don't have to look so worried. I won't hold you to it. 1953, Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton, Roman Holiday, spoken by Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn):
He was held responsible for the actions of those under his command.
To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions. ▸ To maintain in being or action; to carry on; to prosecute, as a course of conduct or an argument; to continue; to sustain.
Hold not thy peace, and be not still. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 83:1:
Seedtime and harvest, heat and hoary frost, / Shall hold their course. 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II:
To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions. ▸ To accept, as an opinion; to be the adherent of, openly or privately; to persist in, as a purpose; to maintain; to sustain.
These reasons mov'd her starlike husband's heart, But still he held his purpose to depart: 1700, Ovid (John Dryden), Ceyx and Alcyone:
Stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Thessalonians 2:15:
(archaic) To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions. ▸ To restrain oneself; to refrain; to hold back.
His dauntless heart would fain have held / From weeping, but his eyes rebelled. 1685, John Dryden, Threnodia Augustalis: A Funeral Pindaric Poem:
(ambitransitive) To win one's own service game.
To take place, to occur.
He came into the hall where the wedding-festival had held […]. 1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Oxford, published 2010, page 9:
To organise an event or meeting (usually in passive voice).
Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
Elections will be held on the first Sunday of next month.
(archaic) To derive right or title.
His imagination holds immediately from nature. 1817, William Hazlitt, The Round Table:
My Crovvn is abſolute, and holds of none. 1665 (first performance), John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or, The Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 12:
(imperative) In a food or drink order at an informal restaurant etc., requesting that a component normally included in that order be omitted.
One ham-and-cheese sandwich; hold the mustard.
A martini, please, and hold the olive.
(intransitive, slang) To be in possession of illicit drugs for sale.
[…] first thing clients would say to me would be 'Are you holding?' I'd say yes if we had our supply and no if it was dangerous. 1933, Goat Laven, Rough Stuff: The Life Story of a Gangster, page 122:
es sujetar (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · te భధ్రించు (to reserve — see also reserve) · uk держа́ти (to grasp) · zku mankurrinthi (to grasp) · la sedeo (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · sv rymma (to contain — see also contain) · fi pitää (to grasp) · ruo ţire (to grasp) · la habeo (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · uk трима́ти (to grasp) · bn ধরা (to grasp) · af hou (to grasp) · sv anordna (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · xh phatha (to grasp) · fi pitää (to bind to a consequence of one's actions) · oc téner (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · tl magpigil (to detain — see also detain) · ca tenir (to grasp) · lb faassen (to contain — see also contain) · bg запазвам (to reserve — see also reserve) · co tene (to grasp) · sq ruajt (to reserve — see also reserve) · sco haud (to grasp) · da bestille (to reserve — see also reserve) · xdq буца́ра (to grasp) · ru проводить (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · eu eduki (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · te పెట్టు (to contain — see also contain) · tl mapigil (to detain — see also detain) · ca reservar (to reserve — see also reserve) · de gelten (to be or remain valid) · ja 拘束する (to detain — see also detain) · th ถือ (to grasp) · ro conține (to contain — see also contain) · pt segurar (to grasp) · fi sisältää (to contain — see also contain) · pt pegar (to grasp) · is rúma (to contain — see also contain) · xdq бурца́ра (to grasp) · it tenere (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · nds holden (to grasp) · sux 𒁳 (to grasp) · pt valer (to be or remain valid) · lmo tegnì (to grasp) · it mantenere (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · mi pepa (to contain — see also contain) · vi giữ (to grasp) · yi האַלטן (to grasp) · ja 持つ (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · ky алуу (to grasp) · xfa teneo (teneo) (to grasp) · fi pitää syöttönsä ((tennis) to win one’s service game) · ja 保持する (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · hi रोकना (to contain — see also contain) · br derc'hel (to grasp) · ne लिनु (to grasp) · ro ține (to grasp) · fi pidätellä (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · sh držati (to grasp) · tl hawakan (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · es sujetar (to grasp) · az tutmaq (to grasp) · ug تۇتماق (to grasp) · ky жетелөө (to grasp) · it trattenere (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · tl pigilin (to detain — see also detain) · pl dzierżyć (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · hi पकड़ना (to grasp) · fi pysyä (to be or remain valid) · kix thōh (to grasp) · kn ಹಿಡಿತ (to grasp) · tl humawak (to grasp) · fi pitää (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · sv reservera (to reserve — see also reserve) · ast sostener (to grasp) · ru содержа́ть (to contain — see also contain) · tl tumangan (to grasp) · ga coinnigh (to contain — see also contain) · pjt tjulyani (to grasp) · bh धरल (to grasp) · lt išlaikyti (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · lt turėti (to grasp) · chr ᎦᏰᎭ (to grasp) · rap aaru (to grasp) · ms memegang (to grasp) · hu fenntart (to reserve — see also reserve) · fi säilyttää (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · fr garder (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · fi pitää (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · fi pitää varattuna (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · hy բռնել (to grasp) · pl utrzymywać (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · pt ter (to contain — see also contain) · nl houden (to grasp) · ar مَسَكَ (to grasp) · uk утри́мувати (to contain — see also contain) · mi rawhirawhi (to grasp) · tl pumigil (to detain — see also detain) · lt sulaikyti (to detain — see also detain) · ko 들다 (to grasp) · da reservere (to reserve — see also reserve) · ja 遅れさせる (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · ro a ține (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · sq mbaj (to grasp) · id memegang (to grasp) · xh bamba (to grasp) · os дарын (to grasp) · su cepeng (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · tl idaos (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · vi nắm (to grasp) · pt atrasar (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · vi chứa (to contain — see also contain) · mi mau (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · is halda (to grasp) · ro ține (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · nds holen (to grasp) · gl termar (to grasp) · eo organizi (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · da holde (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · fi pitää (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · ja 入っている (to contain — see also contain) · pl zatrzymać (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · mi kumu (to contain — see also contain) · el περιέχω (to contain — see also contain) · ca sostenir (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · wo teyea (to grasp) · su cepeng (to grasp) · pt segurar (to contain — see also contain) · sv anhålla (to detain — see also detain) · pt realizar (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · mi pupuri (to grasp) · fi pitää (to detain — see also detain) · mi whakanonoi (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · fr garder (to reserve — see also reserve) · tl humawak (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · fr soutenir (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · te పట్టు (to grasp) · cu дрьжати (to grasp) · lt išlaikyti (to reserve — see also reserve) · ne पक्डिनु (to grasp) · zea vast'ouwe (to grasp) · km កាន់ (to grasp) · kmr girtin (to grasp) · fr retenir (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · fr contenir (to contain — see also contain) · izh pittää (to grasp) · pl chwycić (to grasp) · ja 止める (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · ru заде́рживать (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · tr tutmak (to grasp) · tl pahintuan (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · vi cầm (to grasp) · it ritenere (to be or remain valid) · lt turėti (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · mt żamm (to grasp) · pt aguentar (to contain — see also contain) · grc ἡγέομαι (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · lt sulaikyti (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · sk držať (to grasp) · ta பிடி (to grasp) · la assigno (to reserve — see also reserve) · ttj -kwata (to grasp) · fr détenir (to detain — see also detain) · ml പിടിക്കുക (to grasp) · ja 掴む (to grasp) · sv hålla (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · no holde (to grasp) · tl magdaos (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · pt segurar (to reserve — see also reserve) · got 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌽 (to grasp) · pt considerar (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · vo kipädön (to contain — see also contain) · tl hawakan (to grasp) · uz tutmoq (to grasp) · eo teni (to grasp) · fy hâlde (to grasp) · tl mamalagi (to be or remain valid) · tyz căm (to grasp) · rm taner (to grasp) · grc χανδάνω (to contain — see also contain) · mi rawhi (to grasp) · lt turėti (to contain — see also contain) · sl držati (to grasp) · mk држи (to grasp) · ja 所持する (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · sv hålla (to grasp) · ast tener (to grasp) · it serbare (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · et hoidma (to grasp) · kmr zeft kirin (to grasp) · tl tumigil (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · ru задержа́ть (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · hu tart (to detain — see also detain) · tl maglaman (to contain — see also contain) · ga coinnigh (to grasp) · bn মনে করা (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · la teneo (to grasp) · tl magpapanagot (to bind to a consequence of one's actions) · da tilbageholde (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · tet kaer (to grasp) · hu tart (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · bg владея (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · hi बाँधना (to contain — see also contain) · chr ᎠᏰᎭ (to grasp) · lb gëllen (to be or remain valid) · pt contar (to be or remain valid) · oc tendre (to grasp) · zu bamba (to grasp) · te ఉంచు (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · ja 保持する (to contain — see also contain) · pt deter (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · tg нигоҳ доштан (to grasp) · vec tegner (to grasp) · hy պահել (to grasp) · fi pidellä (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · ro ține (pe cineva) (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · csb trzëmac (to grasp) · rm tigneir (to grasp) · ro deține (to detain — see also detain) · oc téner (to grasp) · zza tepışyen (to grasp) · tl patigilin (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · pt conter (to detain — see also detain) · my ကိုင် (to grasp) · hu tartalmaz (to contain — see also contain) · pl chwytać (to grasp) · ro rezerva (to reserve — see also reserve) · scn tiniri (to grasp) · ca guardar (to reserve — see also reserve) · tyv тудар (to grasp) · lb halen (to grasp) · lo ຖື (to grasp) · haw hiʻi (to grasp) · tl papanagutin (to bind to a consequence of one's actions) · ja 持つ (to grasp) · ja 擁する (to contain — see also contain) · pt sustentar (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · cy dal (to grasp) · hu tart (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · ay asxasiña (to grasp) · sq ma (to grasp) · pl trzymać (to grasp) · eo rezervi (to reserve — see also reserve) · ia tener (to grasp) · pap tene (to grasp) · it contenere (to contain — see also contain) · hu tart (to grasp) · fi pidellä (to grasp) · it mantenere (to bind to a consequence of one's actions) · ro menține (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · mi rarawhi (to grasp) · zh 把 (to grasp) · rm tener (to grasp) · hi धरना (to grasp) · sah тут (to grasp) · de austragen (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · kk ұстау (to grasp) · da anordne (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · hy պահել (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · tl magpatuloy (to be or remain valid) · ru задержа́ть (to detain — see also detain) · io tenar (to grasp) · tl magpalagay (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · tl malulan (to contain — see also contain) · chr ᎦᏁᎭ (to grasp) · ga coimeád (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · sv anse (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · tl malaman (to contain — see also contain) · ca detenir (to detain — see also detain) · bg съдържам (to contain — see also contain) · rm tgnair (to grasp) · ja 握る (to grasp) · gv shass (to grasp) · es aguantar (to grasp) · ky кармоо (to grasp) · ota طوتمق (to grasp) · nds hollen (to grasp) · ga coinnigh (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · fr tenir (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · fa نگه داشتن (to grasp) · wa tni (to grasp) · tl maglulan (to contain — see also contain) · nl vasthouden (to grasp) · grc ἔχω (to grasp) · it tenere (to reserve — see also reserve) · lv turēt (to grasp) · sq maj (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · nds hollen (to grasp) · pt possuir (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · pa ਫ਼ੜ (to grasp) · ja 予約する (to reserve — see also reserve) · ro ține (to reserve — see also reserve) · rup tsãn (to grasp) · pt deter (to detain — see also detain) · oc sosténer (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · sv innehålla (to contain — see also contain) · mr पकडणे (to grasp) · or ଧରିବା (to grasp) · so qabasho (to grasp) · da holde (to grasp) · bg в сила съм (to be or remain valid) · pt conter (to contain — see also contain) · de abhalten (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · bg държа́ (to grasp) · el βάζω σε αναμονή (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · la possideo (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · zh 舉行 /举行 (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · gl ter (to grasp) · it prenotare (to reserve — see also reserve) · be трыма́ць (to grasp) · et pidama (to grasp) · it imbracciare (to grasp) · gv cum (to grasp) · ta நடத்து (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · ig jide (to grasp) · nl bevatten (to contain — see also contain) · pt ter (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · br derc'hel (to contain — see also contain) · bn ধরা (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · hy պարունակել (to contain — see also contain) · gmy 𐀁𐀐 (to grasp) · pl wstrzymać (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · la teneo (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · bg хваща́м (to grasp) · tl tangnan (to grasp) · tl tumangan (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · da anholde (to detain — see also detain) · oc deténer (to detain — see also detain) · de halten (to grasp) · zu phatha (to grasp) · sh држати (to grasp) · eu heldu (to grasp) · bg задържам (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · fi varata (to reserve — see also reserve) · fr tenir (to grasp) · nl tegenhouden (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · wa tini (to grasp) · nl vasthouden (to detain — see also detain) · eo enteni (to contain — see also contain) · dlm tenar (to grasp) · mwl pegar (to grasp) · grc νομίζω (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · uk затри́мувати (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · he הֶחְזִיק (to grasp) · ang beran (to grasp) · fi pitää (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · haw paʻa (to grasp) · bn ধরা (to contain — see also contain) · nl bijhouden (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · ru держа́ть (to grasp) · cs zadržet (to detain — see also detain) · ast aguantar (to grasp) · es detentar (illegitimately) (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · sq përmba (to contain — see also contain) · gmy 𐀃𐀏 (to grasp) · zh 拿 (to grasp) · kum тутмакъ (to grasp) · tl magpahinto (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · fur tignî (to grasp) · tl tangnan (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · ar مسك (to grasp) · bn রাখা (to reserve — see also reserve) · fr tenir (to organise an event or meeting — see also take place, celebrate, realize, carry out, sustain) · it trattenere (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · pl zatrzymać (to detain — see also detain) · hi समाविष्ट (to contain — see also contain) · ka ჭერა (to grasp) · ast suxetar (to grasp) · it tenere (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · gl conter (to contain — see also contain) · pt segurar (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · fi pidättää (to detain — see also detain) · ko 쥐다 (to grasp) · ru заде́рживать (to detain — see also detain) · hi रखना (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · pl złapać (to grasp) · mn барих (to grasp) · pt guardar (to reserve — see also reserve) · lg -kwata (to grasp) · zh 持 (to grasp) · bn ধরা (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · rm tegnair (to grasp) · mi pupuri (to keep possession — see also sustain, protect) · fi pitää (to reserve — see also reserve) · ca mantenir (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · tl manatili (to be or remain valid) · tl ipalagay (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · bn ধরা (to detain — see also detain) · gl aguantar (to grasp) · ur پکڑنا (to grasp) · tk tutmak (to grasp) · vi đựng (to contain — see also contain) · cs zdržet (to cause to wait — see also maintain) · el κρατώ (to grasp) · si අල්ලනවා (to grasp) · bg задържам (to detain — see also detain) · da anse (to maintain, to consider — see also maintain) · dsb źaržaś (to grasp) · it tenere (to grasp) · gd cum (to grasp) · am ያዘ (to grasp) · zea 'ouwe (to grasp) · cs držet (to grasp) · vo dakipön (to grasp) · ka დაჭერა (to grasp)
From Middle English hold, holde, from Old English hold (“gracious, friendly, kind”), from Proto-West Germanic *holþ, from Proto-Germanic *hulþaz (“favourable, gracious, loyal”), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to tend, incline, bend, tip”).
Cognate with German hold (“gracious, friendly, sympathetic, grateful”), Danish and Swedish huld (“fair, kindly, gracious”), Icelandic hollur (“faithful, dedicated, loyal”), German Huld (“grace, favour”).
Meanings
(obsolete) Gracious; friendly; faithful; true.
at the proper moment, I stepped forward with a gay heart and a hold one 1854, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Passages from a Relinquished Work”, in Mosses from an Old Manse: