halten German · revision 34890

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *haldaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈhaltn̩/, /ˈhaltən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''halten''' (class 7 strong, third-person singular present hält, past tense hielt, past participle gehalten, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ Forms with ''ld'', such as ''halden'', occur beside ''halten'' from Old High German until the 16th century.^(DWB|10, 275) The present forms ''du hältst'', ''er hält'' became fixed only in the 17th century; until then unumlauted ''haltet'' and shortened ''halt'' were also used.^(DWB|10, 275)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|halten]], [[inh|goh|haltan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*haldaną|t=to hold, keep]], originally a reduplicating strong verb.^(Kluge 2011|389)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[got|𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌽|tr=haldan|t=to tend (cattle)]], [[osx|haldan]], [[non|halda]], [[ang|healdan]] and [[ofs|halda]], and today [[nl|houden]], [[en|hold]] and [[sv|hålla]].^(Kluge 2011|389)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary DE)

+

+ Pfeifer, the Duden and Paul take “to tend cattle”, the sense of the Gothic verb, as the original meaning;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002) Kluge puts it as “to guard, protect, keep”, from which “to hold fast” developed.^(Kluge 2011|389) The further origin is unclear.^(Kluge 2011|389)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Pfeifer, the Duden and Wahrig, taking the dental as a present suffix, connect it with [[grc|κέλλω|tr=kéllō|t=to drive, put ashore]], [[sa|कलयति|tr=kaláyati|t=drives (cattle), holds]] and [[la|celer|t=swift]], from the root [[ine-pro|*kel-|t=to drive]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) Kluge, like Seebold, prefers on grounds of meaning the root [[m|ine-pro|*kʷel-|t=to turn, move around]] of [[m|la|colō|t=to tend, cultivate]] and [[m|grc|πέλομαι|tr=pélomai|t=to be in motion]], though this requires the labial element to have been lost before /o/.^(Kluge 2011|389)^(Pfeifer 1993) Wiktionary also mentions [[m|ine-pro|*ḱel-|t=to hide]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ In Old High German the second and third person singular of the present show no umlaut in Upper German, because of the /l/ before a consonant, but do in Franconian.^(EWA|4, 785)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''haltan'' is recorded from the 8th century, in glosses (perhaps about 765), the Benedictine Rule, Isidor, the Murbach Hymns, Tatian, Otfrid and Notker.^(EWA|4, 785)^(Köbler AHD)^(Schützeichel 2012|139) It meant “to hold fast, keep, preserve”, “to watch, observe, follow (a rule)” and “to protect, guard, save, redeem”; the present participle ''haltanto'' was used for “the Saviour”.^(EWA|4, 785)^(Schützeichel 2012|139)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Paul notes that the main modern sense, “to hold in the hand”, is secondary; it became more prominent when [[haben]], which had competed with ''halten'' in this use, gave it up almost completely.^(Paul 2002) The old sense “to tend cattle” lives on in Bavarian dialects, together with ''Halter'' “herdsman”.^(Paul 2002)^(Duden 7 2020) From “to tend” came both “to attend to, observe, keep” and “to hold fast”, “to stop, remain”, and finally, perhaps under the influence of ''haben'', “to regard as, believe”.^(Pfeifer 1993) From “to attend to” came “to fulfil”, as in keeping a law or one's word, and in phrases like ''eine Rede halten'' or ''Wache halten'' the verb is only a weak support for the noun.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ Wahrig takes [[unterhalten]] (17th century) as probably a loan rendering of French ''entretenir''.^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch) ''Per Anhalter fahren'' “to hitchhike” became current in the mid-20th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''haltan'' appears in glosses;^(Köbler AHD) ''bihaltan'' “to keep, preserve” is also recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * c. 1000 – ''haltāri'' “saviour” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 15th century – ''Behälter'' and ''Behältnis'' appear.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * 16th century – ''erhalten'' becomes common.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)

+ * 17th century – The present forms ''du hältst'', ''er hält'' become fixed.^(DWB|10, 275)

+ * Mid-20th century – ''per Anhalter fahren'' “to hitchhike” becomes current.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|hold]], have in one's grip and not let go; to keep something in place: ''eine Leiter halten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To put and keep in a certain position: ''den Kopf gesenkt halten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To [[m|en|stop]], hold back;^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary) ''(intransitive)'' to come to a stop, of vehicles: ''Der Bus hält hier nicht.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To keep in a certain state; to keep animals or a car: ''das Zimmer warm halten'', ''Hühner halten''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To last, stay in place, of fastenings or glue; of food, to keep fresh.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # With ''für'': to take for, [[m|en|consider]]; with ''von'': to think well or badly of.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' With ''an'': to keep to, follow (rules, an agreement).^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To keep (a promise, one's word); to give (a speech, a lecture).^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Halt]]

+ * [[Halter]]

+ * [[Haltung]]

+ * [[haltbar]]

+ * [[abhalten]]

+ * [[anhalten]]

+ * [[Anhalter]]

+ * [[aufhalten]]

+ * [[aushalten]]

+ * [[behalten]]

+ * [[Behälter]]

+ * [[Behältnis]]

+ * [[einhalten]]

+ * [[Einhalt]]

+ * [[enthalten]]

+ * [[enthaltsam]]

+ * [[erhalten]]

+ * [[unterhalten]]

+ * [[Unterhaltung]]

+ * [[verhalten]]

+ * [[haushalten]]

+ * [[Gehalt]]

+ * [[Hinterhalt]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Hals]]

+ * [[en|hold]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''An sich halten'' means to restrain oneself.^(Duden GWDS 1999) Paul quotes ''über etwas halten'' “to watch over something” from Schiller and Goethe; it is now dated.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}