hield

English

Alternative forms

• heeld, heald
• heild, hild, hyld, held, helde (obsolete)

Etymology 1

From Middle English heelden, helden, from Old English hieldan, heldan (“to lean, incline, slope, force downwards, bow or bend down”), from Proto-West Germanic *halþijan, from Proto-Germanic *halþijaną (“to bend, incline, pour, empty”), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to tilt, tip, incline”).

Cognate with Dutch hellen (“to incline”), Low German hellen (“to incline”), Middle High German helden (“to incline”), Danish hælde (“to tilt, lean, slant, slope”), Swedish hälla (“to tilt, pour”), Icelandic halla (“incline, lean sideways, heel over”), Icelandic hella (“to pur”). See also heel.

Verb

hield (third-person singular simple present hields, present participle hielding, simple past and past participle hielded)

1. (transitive) To bend; incline; tilt (as a water-vessel or ship); heel.
2. (transitive) To pour out; pour.
3. (transitive) To throw; cast; put.
4. (intransitive) To bow; bend; incline; tilt or cant over.
5. (intransitive) To decline; sink; go down.
6. (intransitive) To yield; give way; surrender.

Related terms

• hade
• heel

Etymology 2

From Middle English held, from Old English hielde (“slope, declivity”), from Proto-Germanic *halþijōn, *halþijō (“inclination, slope”), from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to tilt, tip, incline”). Cognate with German Halde (“slope”), Danish hæld (“an incline, slope”).

Noun

hield (plural hields)

1. An inclination; a cant.
2. (UK dialectal) An incline; slope.
3. A decline; decrease; wane.

Anagrams

• Delhi, Diehl, hidel, hidle

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ilt

Verb

hield

1. singular past indicative of houden

Old English

Verb

hield

1. imperative singular of hieldan