Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Hold

Hold

(hōld)
,
Noun.
[D.
hol
hole, hollow. See
Hole
.]
(Naut.)
The whole interior portion of a vessel below the lower deck, in which the cargo is stowed.

Hold

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Held
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Holding
.
Holden
,
p. p.
, is obs. in elegant writing, though still used in legal language.]
[OE.
haldan
, D.
houden
, OHG.
hoten
, Icel.
halda
, Dan.
holde
, Sw.
hålla
,
Goth
.
haldan
to feed, tend (the cattle); of unknown origin. Gf.
Avast
,
Halt
,
Hod
.]
1.
To cause to remain in a given situation, position, or relation, within certain limits, or the like; to prevent from falling or escaping; to sustain; to restrain; to keep in the grasp; to retain.
The loops
held
one curtain to another.
Ex. xxxvi. 12.
Thy right hand shall
hold
me.
Ps. cxxxix. 10.
They all
hold
swords, being expert in war.
Cant. iii. 8.
In vain he seeks, that having can not
hold
.
Spenser.
France, thou mayst
hold
a serpent by the tongue, . . .
A fasting tiger safer by the tooth,
Than keep in peace that hand which thou dost
hold
.
Shakespeare
2.
To retain in one’s keeping; to maintain possession of, or authority over; not to give up or relinquish; to keep; to defend.
We mean to
hold
what anciently we claim
Of deity or empire.
Milton.
3.
To have; to possess; to be in possession of; to occupy; to derive title to;
as, to
hold
office
.
This noble merchant
held
a noble house.
Chaucer.
Of him to
hold
his seigniory for a yearly tribute.
Knolles.
And now the strand, and now the plain, they
held
.
Dryden.
4.
To impose restraint upon; to limit in motion or action; to bind legally or morally; to confine; to restrain.
We can not
hold
mortality's strong hand.
Shakespeare
Death! what do'st? O,
hold
thy blow.
Grashaw.
He had not sufficient judgment and self-command to
hold
his tongue.
Macaulay.
5.
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.
Ps. lxxxiii. 1.
Seedtime and harvest, heat and hoary frost,
Shall
hold
their course.
Milton.
6.
To prosecute, have, take, or join in, as something which is the result of united action; as to, hold a meeting, a festival, a session, etc.; hence, to direct and bring about officially; to conduct or preside at;
as, the general
held
a council of war; a judge
holds
a court; a clergyman
holds
a service.
I would
hold
more talk with thee.
Shakespeare
7.
To receive and retain; to contain as a vessel;
as, this pail
holds
milk
; hence, to be able to receive and retain; to have capacity or containing power for.
Broken cisterns that can
hold
no water.
Jer. ii. 13.
One sees more devils than vast hell can
hold
.
Shakespeare
8.
To accept, as an opinion; to be the adherent of, openly or privately; to persist in, as a purpose; to maintain; to sustain.
Stand fast and
hold
the traditions which ye have been taught.
2 Thes. ii.15.
But still he
held
his purpose to depart.
Dryden.
9.
To consider; to regard; to esteem; to account; to think; to judge.
I
hold
him but a fool.
Shakespeare
I shall never
hold
that man my friend.
Shakespeare
The Lord will not
hold
him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Ex. xx. 7.
10.
To bear, carry, or manage;
as he
holds
himself erect; he
holds
his head high.
Let him
hold
his fingers thus.
Shakespeare
To hold a wager
,
to lay or hazard a wager.
Swift.
–
To hold forth
,
(a)
Verb.
T.
to offer; to exhibit; to propose; to put forward.
“The propositions which books hold forth and pretend to teach.”
Locke.
(b)
Verb.
I.
To talk at length; to harangue.
–
To held in
,
to restrain; to curd.
–
To hold in hand
,
to toy with; to keep in expectation; to have in one's power.
[Obs.]

–
To hold in play
,
to keep under control; to dally with.
Macaulay.
–
To hold off
,
to keep at a distance.
–
To hold on
,
to hold in being, continuance or position; as, to hold a rider on.
–
To hold one's day
,
to keep one's appointment.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
–
To hold one's own
.
To keep good one's present condition absolutely or relatively; not to fall off, or to lose ground; as, a ship holds her own when she does not lose ground in a race or chase; a man holds his own when he does not lose strength or weight.
–
To hold one's peace
,
to keep silence.
-
To hold out
.
(a)
To extend; to offer.
“Fortune holds out these to you as rewards.”
B. Jonson.
(b)
To continue to do or to suffer; to endure.
“He can not long hold out these pangs.”
Shak.
–
To hold up
.
(a)
To raise; to lift; as, hold up your head.
(b)
To support; to sustain.
“He holds himself up in virtue.”
Sir P. Sidney.
(c)
To exhibit; to display; as, he was held up as an example.
(d)
To rein in; to check; to halt; as, hold up your horses.
(e)
to rob, usually at gunpoint; – often with the demand to “hold up” the hands.
(f)
To delay.
–
To hold water
.
(a)
Literally, to retain water without leaking; hence (
Fig
.), to be whole, sound, consistent, without gaps or holes; – commonly used in a negative sense; as, his statements will not hold water.
[Colloq.]
(b)
(Naut.)
To hold the oars steady in the water, thus checking the headway of a boat.

Hold

,
Verb.
I.
In general, to keep one's self in a given position or condition; to remain fixed. Hence:
1.
Not to move; to halt; to stop; – mostly in the imperative.
And damned be him that first cries, “
Hold
, enough!”
Shakespeare
2.
Not to give way; not to part or become separated; to remain unbroken or unsubdued.
Our force by land hath nobly
held
.
Shakespeare
3.
Not to fail or be found wanting; to continue; to last; to endure a test or trial; to abide; to persist.
While our obedience
holds
.
Milton.
The rule
holds
in land as all other commodities.
Locke.
4.
Not to fall away, desert, or prove recreant; to remain attached; to cleave; – often with with, to, or for.
He will
hold
to the one and despise the other.
Matt. vi. 24
5.
To restrain one's self; to refrain.
His dauntless heart would fain have
held

From weeping, but his eyes rebelled.
Dryden.
6.
To derive right or title; – generally with of.
My crown is absolute, and
holds
of none.
Dryden.
His imagination
holds
immediately from nature.
Hazlitt.
Hold on!
Hold up!
wait; stop; forbear.
[Collog]
–
To hold forth
,
to speak in public; to harangue; to preach.
L'Estrange.
–
To hold in
,
to restrain one's self; as, he wanted to laugh and could hardly hold in.
–
To hold off
,
to keep at a distance.
–
To hold on
,
to keep fast hold; to continue; to go on.
“The trade held on for many years,”
Swift.
–
To hold out
,
to last; to endure; to continue; to maintain one's self; not to yield or give way.
–
To hold over
,
to remain in office, possession, etc., beyond a certain date.
–
To hold to
or
To hold with
,
to take sides with, as a person or opinion.
–
To hold together
,
to be joined; not to separate; to remain in union.
Dryden.
Locke.
–
To hold up
.
(a)
To support one's self; to remain unbent or unbroken; as, to hold up under misfortunes.
(b)
To cease raining; to cease to stop; as, it holds up.
Hudibras.
(c)
To keep up; not to fall behind; not to lose ground.
Collier.

Hold

(hōld)
,
Noun.
1.
The act of holding, as in or with the hands or arms; the manner of holding, whether firm or loose; seizure; grasp; clasp; grip; possession; – often used with the verbs take and lay.
Ne have I not twelve pence within mine
hold
.
Chaucer.
Thou should'st lay
hold
upon him.
B. Jonson.
My soul took
hold
on thee.
Addison.
Take fast
hold
of instruction.
Pror. iv. 13.
2.
The authority or ground to take or keep; claim.
The law hath yet another
hold
on you.
Shakespeare
3.
Binding power and influence.
Fear . . . by which God and his laws take the surest
hold of
.
Tillotson.
4.
Something that may be grasped; means of support.
If a man be upon an high place without rails or good
hold
, he is ready to fall.
Bacon.
5.
A place of confinement; a prison; confinement; custody; guard.
They . . . put them in
hold
unto the next day.
Acts. iv. 3.
King Richard, he is in the mighty
hold

Of Bolingbroke.
Shakespeare
6.
A place of security; a fortified place; a fort; a castle; – often called a
stronghold
.
Chaucer.
New comers in an ancient
hold
Tennyson.
7.
(Mus.)
A character [thus [GREEK]] placed over or under a note or rest, and indicating that it is to be prolonged; – called also
pause
, and
corona
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Hold

HOLD

,
Verb.
T.
pret.held; pp. held. Holden is obsolete in elegant writing. [Gr. to hold or restrain; Heb. to hold or contain.]
1.
To stop; to confine; to restrain from escape; to keep fast; to retain. It rarely or never signifies the first act of seizing or falling on, but the act of retaining a thing when seized or confined. To grasp, is to seize, or to keep fast in the hand; hold coincides with grasp in the latter sense, but not in the former. We hold a horse by means of a bridle. An anchor holds a ship in her station.
2.
To embrace and confine, with bearing or lifting. We hold an orange in the hand, or a child in the arms.
3.
To connect; to keep from separation.
The loops held one curtain to another. Ex.36.
4.
To maintain, as an opinion. He holds the doctrine of justification by free grace.
5.
To consider; to regard; to think; to judge, that is, to have in the mind.
I hold him but a fool.
The Lord will not hold him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain. Ex.20.
6.
To contain, or to have capacity to receive and contain. Here is an empty basket that holds two bushels. This empty cask holds thirty gallons. The church holds two thousand people.
7.
To retain within itself; to keep from running or flowing out. A vessel with holes in its bottom will not hold fluids.
They have hewed them out broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jer.2.
8.
To defend; to keep possession; to maintain.
We mean to hold what anciently we claim
Of empire.
9.
To have; as, to hold a place, office or title.
10. To have or possess by title; as,he held his lands of the king. The estate is held by copy of court-roll.
11. To refrain; to stop; to restrain; to withhold. Hold your laughter. Hold your tongue.
Death! what do'st? O, hold thy blow.
12. To keep; as, hold your peace.
13. To fix; to confine; to compel to observe or fulfill; as, to hold one to his promise.
14. To confine; to restrain from motion.
The Most High--held still the flood till they had passed. 2 Esdras.
15. To confine; to bind; in a legal or moral sense. He is held to perform his covenants.
16. To maintain; to retain; to continue.
But still he held his purpose to depart.
17. To keep in continuance or practice.
And Night and Chaos, ancestors of nature, hold Eternal anarchy.
18. To continue; to keep; to prosecute or carry on.
Seed-time and harvest,heat and hoary-frost,
Shall hold their course.
19. To have in session; as, to hold a court or parliament; to hold a council.
20. To celebrate; to solemnize; as, to hold a feast.
21. To maintain; to sustain; to have in use or exercise; as, to hold an argument or debate.
22. To sustain; to support.
Thy right hand shall hold me. Ps.139.
23. To carry; to wield.
They all hold swords, being expert in war. Cant.3.
24. To maintain; to observe in practice.
Ye hold the traditions of men. Mark 7.
25. To last; to endure. The provisions will hold us, till we arrive in port. So we say, the provisions will last us; but the phrase is elliptical for will hold or last for us, the verb being intransitive.
To hold forth, to offer; to exhibit; to propose.
Observe the connection of ideas in the propositions which books hold forth and pretend to teach.
1.
To reach forth; to put forward to view.
To hold in, to restrain; to curb; to govern by the bridle.
1.
To restrain in general; to check; to repress.
To hold off, to keep at a distance.
To hold on, to continue or proceed in; as, to hold on a course.
To hold out, to extend; to stretch forth.
The king held out to Esther the golden scepter.Esther 5.
1.
To propose; to offer.
Fortune holds out these to you as rewards.
2.
To continue to do or suffer.
He cannot long hold out these pangs. [Not used.]
To hold up, to raise; as, hold up your head.
1.
To sustain; to support.
He holds himself up in virtue.
2.
To retain; to withhold.
3.
To offer; to exhibit. He held up to view the prospect of gain.
4.
To sustain; to keep from falling.
To hold one's own, to keep good one's present condition; not to fall off, or to lose ground. In seamen's language, a ship holds her own, when she sails as fast as another ship, or keeps her course.
To hold, is used by the Irish, for to lay, as a bet, to wager. I hold a crown, or a dollar; but this is a vulgar use of the word.

HOLD

,
Verb.
I.
To be true; not to fail; to stand, as a fact or truth. This is a sound argument in many cases, but does not hold in the case under consideration.
The rule holds in lands as well as in other things.
In this application, we often say, to hold true, to hold good. The argument holds good in both cases. This holds true in most cases.
1.
To continue unbroken or unsubdued.
Our force by land hath nobly held. [Little used.]
2.
To last; to endure.
We now say, to hold out.
3.
To continue.
While our obedience holds.
4.
To be fast; to be firm; not to give way, or part. The rope is strong; I believe it will hold. The anchor holds well.
5.
To refrain.
His dauntless heart would fain have held
From weeping.
6.
To stick or adhere. The plaster will not hold.
To hold forth, to speak in public; to harangue; to preach; to proclaim.
To hold in, to restrain one's self. He was tempted to laugh; he could hardly hold in.
1.
To continue in good luck. [Unusual.]
To hold off, to keep at a distance; to avoid connection.
To hold of, to be dependent on; to derive title from.
My crown is absolute and holds of none.
To hold on, to continue; not to be interrupted.
The trade held on many years.
1.
To keep fast hold; to cling to.
2.
To proceed in a course. Job 17.
To hold out, to last; to endure; to continue.
A consumptive constitution may hold out a few years. He will accomplish the work, if his strength holds out.
1.
Not to yield; not to surrender; not to be subdued.
The garrison still held out.
To hold to, to cling or cleave to; to adhere.
Else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Matt.6.
To hold under, or from, to have title from; as petty barons holding under the greater barons.
To hold with, to adhere to; to side with; to stand up for.hold plow, to direct or steer a plow by the hands, in tillage.
To hold together, to be joined; not to separate; to remain in union.
To hold up, to support one's self; as, to hold up under misfortunes.
1.
To cease raining; to cease, as falling weather; used impersonally. It holds up; it will hold up.
2.
To continue the same speed; to run or move fast.
But we now say, to keep up.
To hold a wager, to lay, to stake or to hazard a wager.
Hold, used imperatively, signifies stop; cease; forbear; be still.

HOLD

,
Noun.
A grasp with the hand; an embrace with the arms; any act or exertion of the strength or limbs which keeps a thing fast and prevents escape. Keep your hold; never quit your hold.
It is much used after the verbs to take, and to lay; to take hold, or to lay hold, is to seize. It is used in a literal sense; as to take hold with the hands, with the arms, or with the teeth; or in a figurative sense.
Sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestine. Ex.15.
Take fast hold of instruction. Prov.4.
My soul took hold on thee.
1.
Something which may be seized for support; that which supports.
If a man be upon a high place, without a good hold, he is ready to fall.
2.
Power of keeping.
On your vigor now,
My hold of this new kingdom all depends.
3.
Power of seizing.
The law hath yet another hold on you.
4.
A prison; a place of confinement.
They laid hands on them, and put them in hold till the next day. Acts.4.
5.
Custody; safe keeping.
King Richard, he is in the mighty hold
Of Bolingbroke.
6.
Power or influence operating on the mind; advantage that may be employed in directing or persuading another, or in governing his conduct.
Fear--by which God and his laws take the surest hold of us.
--Gives fortune no more hold of him than is necessary.
7.
Lurking place; a place of security; as the hold of a wild beast.
8.
A fortified place; a fort; a castle; often called a strong hold. Jer.51.
9.
The whole interior cavity of a ship, between the floor and the lower deck. In a vessel of one deck, the whole interior space from the keel or floor to the deck. That part of the hold which lies abaft the main-mast is called the after-hold; that part immediately before the main-mast, the main-hold; that part about the fore-hatchway, the fore-hold.
10. In music, a mark directing the performer to rest on the note over which it is placed. It is called also a pause.

Definition 2024

Hold

Hold

See also: hold and hołd

Hungarian

Proper noun

Hold

  1. Moon

Declension

Inflection (stem in -a-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative Hold —
accusative Holdat —
dative Holdnak —
instrumental Holddal —
causal-final Holdért —
translative Holddá —
terminative Holdig —
essive-formal Holdként —
essive-modal — —
inessive Holdban —
superessive Holdon —
adessive Holdnál —
illative Holdba —
sublative Holdra —
allative Holdhoz —
elative Holdból —
delative Holdról —
ablative Holdtól —
Possessive forms of Hold
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. Holdam —
2nd person sing. Holdad —
3rd person sing. Holdja —
1st person plural Holdunk —
2nd person plural Holdatok —
3rd person plural Holdjuk —

hold

hold

See also: Hold and hołd

English

Adjective

hold ‎(comparative more hold, superlative most hold)

  1. (obsolete) Gracious; friendly; faithful; true.

Etymology 2

From Middle English holden, from Old English healdan, from Proto-Germanic *haldaną ‎(“to tend, herd”), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- ‎(“to drive”) (compare Latin celer ‎(“quick”), Tocharian B kälts ‎(“to goad, drive”), Ancient Greek κέλλω ‎(kéllō, “to drive”), Sanskrit kaláyati ‎(kaláyati, “he impels”)).[1][2] Cognate to West Frisian hâlde, Low German holden, holen, Dutch houden, German halten, Danish holde.

Verb

hold ‎(third-person singular simple present holds, present participle holding, simple past held, past participle held or (archaic) holden)

  1. (transitive) To grasp or grip.
    Hold the pencil like this.‎
    • 1879, Richard Jefferies, The Amateur Poacher, chapter1:
      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 […].
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 23, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      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.
    • 2013 September-October, Henry Petroski, “The Evolution of Eyeglasses”, in American Scientist:
      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.
  2. (transitive) To contain or store.
    This package holds six bottles.‎
  3. (heading) To maintain or keep to a position or state.
    1. (transitive) To have and keep possession of something.
      Hold my coat for me.  The general ordered the colonel to hold his position at all costs.‎
      • 2011 December 14, Angelique Chrisafis, “Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism”, in Guardian:
        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.
    2. (transitive) To reserve.
      Hold a table for us at 7:00.‎
    3. (transitive) To cause to wait or delay.
      Hold the elevator.‎
    4. (transitive) To detain.
      Hold the suspect in this cell.‎
    5. (intransitive) To be or remain valid; to apply (usually in the third person).
      to hold true;  The proposition holds.‎
      • John Locke (1632-1705)
        The rule holds in land as all other commodities.
    6. To keep oneself in a particular state.
      to hold firm;  to hold opinions‎
      • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 2, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
        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.
    7. (transitive) To impose restraint upon; to limit in motion or action; to bind legally or morally; to confine; to restrain.
    8. (transitive) To bear, carry, or manage.
      He holds himself proudly erect.  Hold your head high.‎
    9. (intransitive, chiefly imperative) Not to move; to halt; to stop.
    10. (intransitive) Not to give way; not to part or become separated; to remain unbroken or unsubdued.
    11. To remain continent; to control an excretory bodily function.
      to hold one's bladder;  to hold one's breath‎
  4. (heading) To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
    1. (transitive) To maintain, to consider, to opine.
      • 1776, Thomas Jefferson et al., United States Declaration of Independence:
        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.
      • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:
        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.
    2. (transitive) To bind (someone) to a consequence of his or her actions.
      He was held responsible for the actions of those under his command.  I'll hold him to that promise.‎
    3. To maintain in being or action; to carry on; to prosecute, as a course of conduct or an argument; to continue; to sustain.
      • Bible, Psalms lxxxiii.1:
        Hold not thy peace, and be not still.
      • John Milton (1608-1674)
        Seedtime and harvest, heat and hoary frost, / Shall hold their course.
    4. To accept, as an opinion; to be the adherent of, openly or privately; to persist in, as a purpose; to maintain; to sustain.
      • Bible, 2 Thessalonians ii.15:
        Stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught.
      • John Dryden (1631-1700)
        But still he held his purpose to depart.
    5. (archaic) To restrain oneself; to refrain; to hold back.
      • John Dryden (1631-1700)
        His dauntless heart would fain have held / From weeping, but his eyes rebelled.
  5. (tennis, transitive, intransitive) To win one's own service game.
  6. To take place, to occur.
    • 1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Oxford 2010, p. 9:
      He came into the hall where the wedding-festival had held […].
  7. To organise an event or meeting (usually in passive voice).
    Elections will be held on the first Sunday of next month.‎
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 5, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      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.
  8. (archaic) To derive right or title.
Conjugation
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Noun

hold ‎(plural holds)

  1. A grasp or grip.
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      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.
    Keep a firm hold on the handlebars.
  2. A place where animals are held for safety
  3. An order that something is to be reserved or delayed, limiting or preventing how it can be dealt with.
    Senator X placed a hold on the bill, then went to the library and placed a hold on a book.
  4. Something reserved or kept.
    We have a hold here for you.
  5. Power over someone or something.
    • 2008, Christopher Clarke-Milton, Dawn of the Messiah - Book 1, ISBN 1604777923, page 199:
      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.
    • 2013, Wim Wenders & Mary Zournazi, Inventing Peace: A Dialogue on Perception, ISBN 0857722700, page 107:
      War has a hold on our cultural imaginations as an inevitable force, it is peace that has no benefactor.
  6. The ability to persist.
    • 1982, Laurence Monroe Klauber & Karen Harvey McClung, Rattlesnakes, Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence, ISBN 0520040392, page 48:
      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.
  7. The property of maintaining the shape of styled hair.
    • 2004, Zoe Diana Draelos, Hair Care: An Illustrated Dermatologic Handbook (page 221)
      Sculpturing gels provide stiffer hold than styling gels, which provide better hold than mousses.
  8. (wrestling) A position or grip used to control the opponent.
    He got him in a tight hold and pinned him to the mat.
  9. (exercise (sport)) An exercise involving holding a position for a set time
  10. (gambling) The percentage the house wins on a gamble, the house or bookmaker's hold.
    • 2002, "Reality", “The Scorecard For Bookmakers”, in (Please provide the title of the work), retrieved 2013-12-18:
    The House Hold on the game is 10,000, this is the amount of decision or risk the house wishes to assume.
  11. (gambling) The wager amount, the total hold.
    • 2012, Sarah Fortnum, “Melbourne Cup 2012 From The Bookie’s Perspective”, in (Please provide the title of the work), retrieved 2013-12-18:
    As of Monday night the total Melbourne Cup hold was $848,015
  12. (tennis) An instance of holding one's service game, as opposed to being broken.
  13. The part of an object one is intended to grasp, or anything one can use for grasping with hands or feet.
    • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4
      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.
    • 1995, Turlough Johnston & Madeleine Halldén, Rock Climbing Basics, ISBN 0811724204, page 86:
      The beginner will instinctively try to stick his toe straight in in a foot hold, which is very tiring on the calf muscles.
  14. A fruit machine feature allowing one or more of the reels to remain fixed while the others spin.
  15. (video games, dated) A pause facility.
    • 1983, New Generation Software, Knot in 3D (video game instruction leaflet)
      A hold facility is available; H holds, and S restarts.
    • 1987?, Imagine Software, Legend of Kage (video game instruction leaflet)
      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.
  16. The queueing system on telephones and similar communication systems which maintains a connection when all lines are busy.
    • 2003, Daniel Jackson, Paul Fulberg, Sonic Branding: An Essential Guide to the Art and Science of Sonic Branding, Palgrave Macmillan (ISBN 9780230503267), page 6
      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.
    • 2005, Lorraine Grubbs-West, Lessons in Loyalty: How Southwest Airlines Does it : an Insider's View, CornerStone Leadership Inst (ISBN 9780976252856), page 56
      Even the "on-hold" messages on Southwest's telephone system are humorous, ensuring anyone inconvenienced by the hold is entertained.
    • 2012, Tanner Ezell, Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8: Expert Administration Cookbook, Packt Publishing Ltd (ISBN 9781849684330)
      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.
Synonyms

(exercise): isometric exercise

Derived terms
Translations

References

  1. ↑ Robert K. Barnhart, ed., Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, s.v. "hold¹" (1988; reprint, Chambers, 2008), 486.
  2. ↑ D.Q. Adams, "Drive", in Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture (London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997), 170.

See also

Etymology 3

Alteration (due to hold) of hole. Cognate with Dutch hol ‎(“hole, cave, den, cavity, cargo hold”).

Noun

hold ‎(plural holds)

  1. (nautical, aviation) The cargo area of a ship or aircraft, (often cargo hold).
    Put that in the hold.
Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: lady · truth · turn · #416: hold · cause · close · England

Anagrams

German

Etymology

From Old High German hold, from Proto-Germanic *hulþaz. Cognates include Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌻𐌸𐍃 ‎(hulþs, “clement”) and Old Norse hollr ( > Danish huld).

Pronunciation

Adjective

hold ‎(comparative holder, superlative am holdesten)

  1. (archaic, poetic) friendly, comely, graceful
    • 1907, Carl Spitteler, Die Mädchenfeinde, Siebentes Kapitel, Beim Narrenſtudenten
      • Um aber auf deinen holden Kadettengeneral zurückzukommen, ſo will ich dir, weil du mir dein Geheimnis anvertraut haſt, auch etwas Geheimnisvolles verraten […]

Declension

Comparative forms of hold
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist holder sie ist holder es ist holder sie sind holder
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative holderer holdere holderes holdere
genitive holderen holderer holderen holderer
dative holderem holderer holderem holderen
accusative holderen holdere holderes holdere
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der holdere die holdere das holdere die holderen
genitive des holderen der holderen des holderen der holderen
dative dem holderen der holderen dem holderen den holderen
accusative den holderen die holdere das holdere die holderen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein holderer eine holdere ein holderes (keine) holderen
genitive eines holderen einer holderen eines holderen (keiner) holderen
dative einem holderen einer holderen einem holderen (keinen) holderen
accusative einen holderen eine holdere ein holderes (keine) holderen

Hungarian

Etymology

From Proto-Uralic *kuŋe. Cognates include hó ‎(“month”), Finnish and Estonian kuu.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈhold]
  • Hyphenation: hold

Noun

hold ‎(plural holdak)

  1. moon, natural satellite
  2. unit of surface area, originally meant the same as acre, has different kinds ranging from 3500 m² to 8400 m²

Declension

Inflection (stem in -a-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative hold holdak
accusative holdat holdakat
dative holdnak holdaknak
instrumental holddal holdakkal
causal-final holdért holdakért
translative holddá holdakká
terminative holdig holdakig
essive-formal holdként holdakként
essive-modal — —
inessive holdban holdakban
superessive holdon holdakon
adessive holdnál holdaknál
illative holdba holdakba
sublative holdra holdakra
allative holdhoz holdakhoz
elative holdból holdakból
delative holdról holdakról
ablative holdtól holdaktól
Possessive forms of hold
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. holdam holdjaim
2nd person sing. holdad holdjaid
3rd person sing. holdja holdjai
1st person plural holdunk holdjaink
2nd person plural holdatok holdjaitok
3rd person plural holdjuk holdjaik

Derived terms

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse hold, from Proto-Germanic *huldą.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [hɔlt]
  • Rhymes: -ɔlt

Noun

hold n ‎(genitive singular holds, no plural)

  1. flesh
    • Isaiah 40 (Icelandic, English)
      Heyr, einhver segir: "Kalla þú!" Og ég svara: "Hvað skal ég kalla?" "Allt hold er gras og allur yndisleikur þess sem blóm vallarins. Grasið visnar, blómin fölna, þegar Drottinn andar á þau. Sannlega, mennirnir eru gras. Grasið visnar, blómin fölna, en orð Guðs vors stendur stöðugt eilíflega."
      A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

Declension

Middle English

Etymology

From Old English hold.

Adjective

hold

  1. friendly, faithful

Noun

hold

  1. carcase, flesh

Related terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

hold

  1. imperative of holde

Derived terms

Old English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *huldą, from Proto-Indo-European *kol-, *kwol-. Cognates include Old Norse hold ‎(“flesh”) (Icelandic hold, Swedish hull), and (from Indo-European) Old Irish colainn, Welsh celain.

Noun

hold n

  1. Dead body; carcass
    Swa swa grædige ræmmas ðar ðar hi hold geseoþ. Like greedy ravens when they see a corpse.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *hulþaz, a variant on a root meaning ‘lean, incline’ (compare Old English heald, hieldan). Cognates include Old Frisian hold, Old Saxon hold, Old High German hold (German hold), Old Norse hollr (Danish huld, Swedish huld), Gothic 𐌷𐌿𐌻𐌸𐍃 ‎(hulþs).

Adjective

hold (+ dative)

  1. gracious, loyal, kind
    Swa hold is God mancynne ðæt he hæfþ geset his englas us to hyrdum. God is so gracious to mankind that he has appointed angels as our guardians.

Old High German

Adjective

hold

  1. friendly

Derived terms

Descendants

Etymology

From Proto-Uralic *kuŋe. Cognates include Finnish and Estonian kuu.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈhold]

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