holden

See also: Holden

English

Etymology

From Middle English holden, from Old English healden, from Proto-West Germanic *haldan. By surface analysis, hold +‎ -en.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -əʊldən

Verb

holden

1. (archaic) past participle of hold
   • 1603, Pliny the Elder, translated by Philemon Holland, The Historie of the World. Commonly called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus‎^[1], volume I, London: Adam Fslip, page 348:

     Asses milke is holden for to be thickest, and therfore they use it in stead of renning, to turn milke and gather curds thereof. It is thought also to be very good for to make womens skin faire and white

   • c. 1620s, Elizabeth Cary [misattributed to Henry Cary], The History Of the most unfortunate Prince King Edward II. […] , London: A.G. and F. P., published 1680, page 37:

     And in the worst construction they conceited Money, or a resignation of that part was holden by the King in France, would beget a Peace at their own will and pleasure.

   • 1766, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England:

     The court of sweinmote is to be holden before the verderors, as judges, by the steward of the swein-mote, thrice in every year, the sweins or freeholders within the forest composing the jury.

   • 1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities:

     She was pale and trembling. He came to her relief with a fixed despair of himself, which made the interview unlike any other that could have been holden.

Anagrams

• held on, hondel, onheld

Danish

Etymology

From Old Danish haldæn, from Old Norse haldinn, = the past participle of halda (“to hold”). Compare German gehalten.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈhʌlən]

Adjective

holden (neuter holdent, plural and definite singular attributive holdne)

1. well-to-do, prosperous

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔldən

Verb

holden

1. inflection of hollen:
   1. plural past indicative
   2. (dated or formal) plural past subjunctive

German

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

holden

1. inflection of hold:
   1. strong genitive masculine/neuter singular
   2. weak/mixed genitive/dative all-gender singular
   3. strong/weak/mixed accusative masculine singular
   4. strong dative plural
   5. weak/mixed all-case plural

Low German

Verb

holden

1. alternative form of hollen

Middle English

Alternative forms

• houlde, halden, halde, halt

Etymology

From Old English healdan, from Proto-West Germanic *haldan, from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to watch, look after”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɔ̝ːldən/
• IPA^(key): /haːld/ (Northern)

Verb

holden (third-person singular simple present holdeth, present participle holdynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative held, past participle holden)

1. to hold
2. to consider

Conjugation

Conjugation of holden (strong class 7)

infinitive	(to) holden, holde
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	holde	held
2nd-person singular	holdest	helde1
3rd-person singular	holdeth, halt	held
subjunctive singular	holde	helde2
imperative singular		—
plural3	holden, holde	helden, helde
imperative plural	holdeth, holde	—
participles	holdynge, holdende	holden, holde, yholden, yholde

¹ Later replaced by the 1st-/3rd-person singular or heldest.
² Later replaced by the indicative.
³ Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Derived terms

• biholden
• upholden

Descendants

• English: hold
• Geordie: ha'd
• Scots: hald, hauld, haud, had
• Yola: houle

References

• “hōlden, v.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.