ahold
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See also: a-hold
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- a-hold (adverb)
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Adverb[edit]
ahold (not comparable)
- (nautical, obsolete) (of a ship) Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady.[1]
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
Translations[edit]
nautical
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Etymology 2[edit]
Noun[edit]
ahold (uncountable)
- (informal) A hold, grip, grasp.
- 2009 May 21, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):
- Uh-oh... I guess I shouldn't have given my last babysitter such a hard time. Somehow she got ahold of the video Mom took of me running around without my diaper ... and posted it on YouTube.
Usage notes[edit]
- Mainly used in phrases such as catch, lay, take or get ahold of, on or upon something.
- In formal writing, this word is generally spelled out as a hold, or avoided in favor of a more formal synonym.
Translations[edit]
Translations
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References[edit]
- ^ “ahold”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Categories:
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms prefixed with a-
- English lemmas
- English adverbs
- English uncomparable adverbs
- en:Nautical
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English terms with quotations
- English compound terms
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English informal terms