English

Alternative forms

• heeld, heald
• heild, hild, hyld, held, helde (obsolete)

Verb

hield ‎(third-person singular simple present hields, present participle hielding, simple past and past participle hielded)

1. (transitive) To bend; incline; tilt (as a water-vessel or ship); heel.
2. (transitive) To pour out; pour.
3. (transitive) To throw; cast; put.
4. (intransitive) To bow; bend; incline; tilt or cant over.
5. (intransitive) To decline; sink; go down.
6. (intransitive) To yield; give way; surrender.

Related terms

• hade
• heel

Etymology 2

From Middle English held, from Old English hielde ‎(“slope, declivity”), from Proto-Germanic *halþijōn, *halþijō ‎(“inclination, slope”), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- ‎(“to tilt, tip, incline”). Cognate with German Halde ‎(“slope”), Danish hæld ‎(“an incline, slope”).

Noun

hield ‎(plural hields)

1. An inclination; a cant.
2. (Britain dialectal) An incline; slope.
3. A decline; decrease; wane.

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ilt

Verb

hield

1. singular past indicative of houden