biholden

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Anglian Old English behaldan (West Saxon Old English behealdan), from Proto-West Germanic *bihaldan; by surface analysis, bi- +‎ holden.

Alternative forms

beholde, bihold, bi-hold, biholde, byholde
bi-halden (Early Middle English)
bihelde (Kent)
behald, be-hald, behalde (Northern)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /biˈhɔ̝ːldən/, /biˈhɔ̝ːld(ə)/
IPA^(key): /biˈhaːld/ (Northern)

Verb

biholden (third-person singular simple present biholdeth, present participle biholdynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative biheld, past participle biholden)

To watch or stare at; to visually monitor.
To behold or look at; to visually notice.
To consider or pay attention to:
1. To keep an eye on; to watch or monitor (mentally)
2. To comprehend; to know the meaning of.
3. (rare) To adhere or hold (a belief)
(uncommon) To pertain to; to be relevant.
(rare) To face (in a direction)
(rare, Early Middle English) To mean; to convey a sense.

Conjugation

Conjugation of *biholden* (strong class 7)
	present tense	past tense
infinitive	(to) biholden, biholde

1st-person singular	biholde	biheld
2nd-person singular	biholdest	bihelde, biheld
3rd-person singular	biholdeth	biheld
subjunctive singular	biholde	bihelde¹
imperative singular	biholde	—

plural²	biholden, biholde	bihelden, bihelde
imperative plural	biholdeth, biholde	—

participles	biholdynge, biholdende	biholden, biholde

¹ Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English.
² Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Derived terms

Descendants

English: behold
Middle Scots: behald
- Scots: behaud

References

“bihōlden, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

The past participle of Etymology 1, though since that verb does not mean "to bind, obligate", the "beholden" sense may be a new formation from bi- +‎ holden (“held”).