*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ahold

Etymology tree English a- Proto-Germanic *haldaną Proto-West Germanic *haldan Old English healdan Middle English holden English hold English ahold From a- (“on”) + hold.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adv

Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree English a- Proto-Germanic *haldaną Proto-West Germanic *haldan Old English healdan Middle English holden English hold English ahold From a- (“on”) + hold.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "a-<id:on><t:on>",
        "4": "hold",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish a-\nProto-Germanic *haldaną\nProto-West Germanic *haldan\nOld English healdan\nMiddle English holden\nEnglish hold\nEnglish ahold\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*haldan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"healdan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"holden\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"hold\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ahold\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"ahold\">\nFrom a- (“on”) + hold."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "a-<id:on><t:on>",
        "4": "hold",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂en-der.\nProto-Germanic *an\nProto-West Germanic *ana\nOld English on\nMiddle English an\nMiddle English a-\nEnglish a-\nProto-Germanic *haldaną\nProto-West Germanic *haldan\nOld English healdan\nMiddle English holden\nEnglish hold\nEnglish ahold\nFrom a- (“on”) + hold."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English:_on"
    ],
    [
      "*haldaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/haldaną"
    ],
    [
      "*haldan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/haldan"
    ],
    [
      "healdan",
      "healdan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "holden",
      "holden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hold",
      "hold#English"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English:_on"
    ],
    [
      "hold",
      "hold#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "f0fb6fdb540ac6cabbce4acda8374d31f1cf1c541b8948a5d85beccdf32cb4f9",
      "rawRecordSha256": "833ae30bd24e8587246bfabade342dff1ee8197a5a97cb528c6231229d2cf2c2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1007204
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A hold, grip, grasp.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From a + hold.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Compound componentaen
  • Compound componentholden
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "compound",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "a",
        "3": "hold"
      },
      "expansion": "a + hold"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "a",
      "a#English"
    ],
    [
      "hold",
      "hold#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A hold, grip, grasp."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "c671fbce360e4705dcbbdae68d84970284ede8e534e7a49900d5d2f21dbbdf6e",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ahold →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YWhvbGQ