forhold

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱel-“to cover; to conceal, hide”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*haldaną“to hold; to keep”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*haldan“to hold; to keep”
4. Old English · inherited fromforhealdan“to keep or hold back (something), withhold; to hold away; to disregard, neglect; to hold wrongly, not to keep in good condition”
5. Middle English · inherited fromforholden“to withhold; to keep (a corpse) unburied”
6. English todayforhold

From Middle English forholden (“to withhold; to keep (a corpse) unburied”) [and other forms], from Old English forhealdan (“to keep or hold back (something), withhold; to hold away; to disregard, neglect; to hold wrongly, not to keep in good condition”), from for- (prefix meaning ‘away from; wrongly’) + healdan (“to grasp, hold fast; to possess”) (from Proto-West Germanic *haldan (“to hold; to keep”), from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to hold; to keep”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover; to conceal, hide”)). The English word is analysable as for- + hold, and is cognate with Danish forholde (“to relate”), Dutch verhouden (“to relate”), Low German vorholden (“to detain”), German verhalten (“to control, restrain”), Norwegian forholde (“to deal”).

Words from the same roots