keep

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[edit] English

Most common English words: half « certain « sent « #271: keep » myself » morning » money

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Etymology

Middle English kepen, from Old English cēpan (“‘to seize, hold, observe, heed’”) from Proto-Germanic *kōpijanan from Proto-Germanic *kap-. Akin to Old English gecōp (“‘proper, fitting’”), cōpenere (“‘lover’”), capian (“‘to look’”), Old Norse kópa (“‘to stare, stare at’”), Middle English copnien (“‘to desire’”)

[edit] Verb

Infinitive
to keep

Third person singular
keeps

Simple past
kept

Past participle
kept

Present participle
keeping

to keep (third-person singular simple present keeps, present participle keeping, simple past and past participle kept)

  1. (transitive) To maintain possession of.
    I keep a small stock of painkillers for emergencies.
  2. (transitive) To maintain the condition of.
    I keep my specimens under glass to protect them.
  3. (transitive, archaic) To remain in, to be confined to.
    • 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, III.ii,
      The wrathful skies / Gallow the very wanderers of the dark / And make them keep their caves.
  4. (obsolete) To wait for, keep watch for.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VIII:
      And than Sir Trystrames rode prevayly unto the posterne where kepte hym La Beale Isode, and there she made hym grete chere, and thanked God of his good spede.
  5. (transitive) To restrain.
    I keep my brother out of trouble by keeping him away from his friends and hard at work.
  6. (intransitive) To continue.
    I keep taking the tablets, but to no avail.
  7. (intransitive) To remain edible or otherwise usable.
    Potatoes can keep if they are in a root cellar.
    Latex paint won't keep indefinitely.
  8. (intransitive, copulative) To remain in a state.
    The rabbit avoided detection by keeping still.
  9. (intransitive, cricket) To act as wicket-keeper.
    Godfrey Evans kept for England for many years.
  10. (transitive, of livestock) to raise; to care for.
    • 1914, Robert Joos, Success with Hens, Forbes & company, page 217:
      Of course boys are boys and need watching, but there is little watching necessary when they keep chickens.

[edit] Synonyms

[edit] Derived terms

Look at pages starting with keep.

Terms derived from the verb keep

[edit] Related terms

[edit] Translations

to maintain possession of
to maintain the condition of; to preserve
to remain in, to be confined to
to restrain
to continue
to act as wicket-keeper
of livestock: to raise; to care for
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

[edit] Noun

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Singular
keep

Plural
keeps

keep (plural keeps)

  1. (obsolete) Care, notice.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VII:
      So Sir Gareth strayned hym so that his olde wounde braste ayen on bledynge; but he was hote and corragyous and toke no kepe, but with his grete forse he strake downe the knyght [...].
  2. (historical) The main tower of a castle or fortress, located within the castle walls.
  3. The food or money required to keep someone alive and healthy; one's support, maintenance.
    He works as a cobbler's apprentice for his keep.

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations

main tower
support

[edit] See also

[edit] Estonian

[edit] Noun

keep

  1. cloak, capote, gaberdine

[edit] Middle English

keep

  1. note
    take keep — “take note”
    • Chaucer, G.P. 503-4:
      And shame it is, if a preest take keep
      A shiten shepherde and a clene sheep

[edit] Yucatec Maya

[edit] Noun

keep (plural keepo’ob)

  1. (anatomy) penis

[edit] Synonyms

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