*haldan

Reconstruction

Ringe and Taylor reconstruct *haldan "to hold" for Proto-West Germanic,^[1] and Wiktionary has the same form.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to keep, to protect”),^[1] which Köbler cites as *haldan,^[3] and Seebold lists it under a root glossed "to tend".^[4] EWA sets up Proto-Germanic *χalđe/a-.^[5] In Old English the vowel was fronted to *hældan, which gave West Saxon and Kentish healdan, Mercian haldan and Northumbrian halda.^[1]

Morphology

A reduplicating strong verb of class VII.^[6][7][8] Old High German has the past hialt, hialtum and the participle gihaltan; in Upper German the second and third singular present, haltis, haltit, show no i-umlaut because of the cluster of l and a consonant, while Franconian has heltis, heltit.^[5]

Evidence

The verb is attested in all the West Germanic languages: Old English healdan, Old Frisian halda, Old Saxon haldan and Old High German haltan.^[1][9] Old High German has it from the 8th century,^[5] Old Saxon in the Heliand,^[8] and Old Dutch in the participle ⟨gehaldon⟩ in Williram's commentary of 1100.^[10] Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌽 (haldan) means "to tend, to pasture".^[5][11]

Meanings

1. to hold^[1][2]
2. to keep^[2]

Ringe holds that in Proto-Germanic *haldaną meant "to keep (animals), to pasture", while *habai- meant "to hold".^[12] Old English also used the verb for "to possess", "to rule", "to defend" and "to celebrate",^[9] Old Saxon for "to tend" and "to celebrate",^[8] and Old High German for "to keep safe", "to observe" and "to save".^[5]

Derivatives

• *bihaldan "to keep", which Wiktionary reconstructs;^[13] Köbler lists Old English behealdan, Old Frisian bihalda, Old Dutch bihaldan and the Old Saxon and Old High German prefixed verbs.^[14]

Reflexes

• Old English: healdan (“to hold, to contain, to possess, to rule, to keep, to defend, to observe”)^[9]
• Old Frisian: halda (“to hold, to keep, to retain, to observe”)^[15]
• Old Saxon: haldan (“to hold”)^[11]
• Old Dutch: haldan (“to keep”)^[10]
• Old High German: haltan (“to hold fast, to keep, to preserve, to guard, to observe, to protect”)^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Ringe, Don; Taylor, Ann (2014), The Development of Old English, A Linguistic History of English II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 184
2. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *haldan
3. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *haldan
4. ^ Seebold, Elmar (1970), Vergleichendes und etymologisches Wörterbuch der germanischen starken Verben, The Hague / Paris: Mouton, p. s.v. hald-a-
5. ^ a b c d e f Lloyd, Albert L.; Springer, Otto; Lühr, Rosemarie, et al. (1988–), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; online ewa.saw-leipzig.de, p. s.v. haltan
6. ^ Bremmer, Rolf H., Jr. (2009), An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam / Philadelphia: John Benjamins, p. 197
7. ^ Boutkan, Dirk; Siebinga, Sjoerd Michiel (2005), Old Frisian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 1, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. s.v. halda
8. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altsächsisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. haldan
9. ^ a b c Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. healdan
10. ^ a b Oudnederlands Woordenboek (2009–), Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal, Leiden; gtb.ivdnt.org, p. s.v. haldan
11. ^ a b Berr, Samuel (1971), An Etymological Glossary to the Old Saxon Heliand, Berne / Frankfurt: Herbert Lang, p. 177
12. ^ Ringe, Don (2017), From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 206
13. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. *bihaldan
14. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Germanisches Wörterbuch, 5th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. *bihaldan
15. ^ Hofmann, Dietrich; Popkema, Anne Tjerk (2008), Altfriesisches Handwörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. s.v. halda