Where does “behold” come from?
behold (Danish) comes from Middle Low German beholt, from Middle Low German beholden, from Old Saxon bihaldan, from Proto-West Germanic bihaldan, from Proto-West Germanic haldan, from Proto-Germanic haldaną, from Proto-Indo-European kel- — to hit; beat; to pierce, to stab; goblet.
behold (Danish): haven, refuge; imperative of beholde
Definitions
- haven, refuge; imperative of beholde
Ancestry of “behold”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | beholt | — |
| 2 | Middle Low German | beholden | — |
| 3 | Old Saxon | bihaldan | to keep, conceal; to hold, occupy, retain; to... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | bihaldan | to keep |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | haldan | to hold; to keep |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | haldaną | to hold, to keep |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kel- | to hit; beat; to pierce, to stab; goblet |