upholden

English

Etymology

up- +‎ holden

Verb

upholden

(archaic) past participle of uphold
- 1611, Authorized King James Version, Job 4:4:
  Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.
- 1678, Robert Barclay, An Apology for the True Christian Divinity, Proposition XV, §. VIII.:
  For these wretches would be necessitated then to betake themselves to some honest livelihood, if they were not fed and upholden, by these.

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From up- +‎ holden; compare Middle Dutch ophouden, Middle Low German upholden, Middle High German ûfhalten.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /upˈhɔːldən/
(Northern) IPA^(key): /upˈhaːldən/

Verb

upholden (third-person singular simple present upholdeth, present participle upholdynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative upheld, past participle upholden)

To hold up; to keep aloft or upright.
To support or sustain; to provide help to or for:
1. To subsidise or pay for; to give money to maintain.
2. (rare) To complete or bring about (an intent)
3. (rare) To resist; to defend against.
4. (rare) To confirm an assertion or claim.

Conjugation

Conjugation of *upholden* (strong class 7)
	present tense	past tense
infinitive	(to) upholden, upholde

1st-person singular	upholde	upheld
2nd-person singular	upholdest	uphelde, upheld
3rd-person singular	upholdeth	upheld
subjunctive singular	upholde	uphelde¹
imperative singular	upholde	—

plural²	upholden, upholde	uphelden, uphelde
imperative plural	upholdeth, upholde	—

participles	upholdynge, upholdende	upholden, upholde

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

Descendants

English: uphold
Middle Scots: uphald, uphalde
- Scots: uphaud, up-haud

References

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