hold
To grasp, carry, or support with one's hands or arms.
Etymology
From Old English healdan (to hold, keep, guard), from Proto-Germanic *haldaną, possibly from PIE *kel- (to drive, to compel, to impel). The semantic development from 'to drive' to 'to hold' may have passed through 'to tend cattle' (driving and holding livestock). Some scholars dispute this connection. The word is well-attested across Germanic but has few clear cognates outside the family.
The Journey: *kel- → hold
*kel- (uncertain)
*haldaną
healdan
hold
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *kel-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Dutch | houden — to hold |
| German | halten — to hold, stop |
| Gothic | haldan — to tend, herd |
| Old Norse | halda — to hold |
Did You Know?
The Gothic sense of haldan was 'to tend cattle,' which may preserve the word's oldest meaning. A holder was first a herder — someone who kept animals under control.