onhold

From Middle English anhealden (“to retain”), from Old English onhealdan, anhealdan (“to hold, keep”), equivalent to on- +‎ hold. Cognate with Saterland Frisian anhoolde (“to stop, persist”), West Frisian oanhâlde (“to apprehend, arrest, detain”), Dutch aanhouden (“to persist, continue, retain”) and onthouden (“to withhold, retain”), German anhalten (“to stop, last, persist”) and enthalten (“to contain, include”).

onhold (third-person singular simple present onholds, present participle onholding, simple past onheld, past participle onheld or onholden)

1. (transitive, rare) To hold on (to).
   • 1882, Keningale Robert Cook, The king of Kent:

     She leaped and trembled; still onheld his gripe, And gnawed her waning life.

   • 2008, An Apple A day:

     Because of economic downturn, I onhold my dream first and use my lovely office's notebook IBM Thinkpad T60P as my best friend.

2. (intransitive, rare) To hold on.
   • 1919, Middlesbrough (England). Education Committee, Proceedings:

     Resolved, That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Secondary Committee onheld 8 July, 1918, be and they are hereby confirmed.

• onholding

• hold on