ahold
See also: a-hold
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- a-hold (adverb)
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Adverb edit
ahold (not comparable)
- (nautical, obsolete) (of a ship) Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady.[1]
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
Translations edit
nautical
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Etymology 2 edit
Noun edit
ahold (uncountable)
- (informal) A hold, grip, grasp.
- 2009 May 21, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):
- Uh-oh... I guess I shouldn't have given my last babysitter such a hard time. Somehow she got ahold of the video Mom took of me running around without my diaper ... and posted it on YouTube.
Usage notes edit
- Mainly used in phrases such as catch, lay, take or get ahold of, on or upon something.
- In formal writing, this word is generally spelled out as a hold, or avoided in favor of a more formal synonym.
Translations edit
Translations
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References edit
- ^ “ahold”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.