behold

[bih-hohld]

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verb (used with object), be·held, be·hold·ing.

to observe; look at; see.

interjection

look; see: And, behold, three sentries of the King did appear.

Origin of behold

before 900; Middle English beholden, Old English behaldan to keep. See be-, hold¹

Related formsbe·hold·a·ble, adjectivebe·hold·er, nounun·be·hold·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms for behold

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1. regard, gaze upon, view; watch; discern.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for beholding

spy, consider, scan, catch, see, witness, discern, eye, flash, note, notice, spot, regard, watch, perceive, contemplate, observe, descry, distinguish, earmark

Examples from the Web for beholding

Historical Examples of beholding

It is a picture of horror, which I should have as little pleasure in drawing as you in beholding.
Joseph Andrews Vol. 1
Henry Fielding
And no thought of impurity came to him on beholding that lily, snowy whiteness.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
In the meantime they are happy in their hopes, and for this also they are beholding to me.
The Praise of Folly
Desiderius Erasmus
And therefore for this reason it is that old age dotes; and that it does so, it is beholding to me.
The Praise of Folly
Desiderius Erasmus
On beholding him Gervaise uttered such a deep wailing that he awoke.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for beholding

behold

verb -holds, -holding or -held (often used in the imperative to draw attention to something) archaic, or literary

to look (at); observe

Derived Formsbeholder, noun

Word Origin for behold

Old English bihealdan; related to Old High German bihaltan, Dutch behouden; see be-, hold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for beholding

behold

Old English bihaldan (West Saxon behealdan) "give regard to, hold in view," also "to keep hold of, to belong to," from be- + haldan, healdan (see hold). Related: Beheld; beholding. A common West Germanic compound, cf. Old Saxon bihaldan "hold, keep," Old Frisian bihalda, Old High German bihaltan, German behalten, but "[t]he application to watching, looking, is confined to English" [OED].