Where does “beholden” come from?
beholden (Middle Low German) comes 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.
Ancestry of “beholden”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | bihaldan | to keep, conceal; to hold, occupy, retain; to... |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | bihaldan | to keep |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | haldan | to hold; to keep |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | haldaną | to hold, to keep |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kel- | to hit; beat; to pierce, to stab; goblet |
Words derived from “beholden”