holding

• enPR: hōldʹ-ĭng, IPA^(key): /ˈhəʊldɪŋ/
  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): [ˈhəʉɫdɪŋ]
  • (UK) IPA^(key): [ˈhəʊɫdɪŋ]
  • (US) IPA^(key): [ˈhoʊɫdɪŋ]

  • Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -əʊldɪŋ
• Hyphenation: hold‧ing

holding (plural holdings)

1. Something that one owns, especially stocks and bonds.
   • 1980, Joseph D. Dwyer, Russia, the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe (page 9)

     Although this survey lists only a small number of representative materials in the Hoover Library's Baltic Collection, a comprehensive view of the library's holdings can be gained from the Hoover Institution's card catalog or its printed equivalent

   • 2009, The Economist, Law and order in Italy: Trouble with figures

     Italy's right-wing prime minister was about to cure his biggest headache by selling the state's holding in a troubled airline, Alitalia.

   • 2014, D. K. Acharya, Standard Methods of Contract Bridge Complete (page 378)

     The defender at third position is supposed to keep the partner informed of his holdings in that suit.

2. A determination of law made by a court.
3. A tenure; a farm or other estate held of another.
   • c. 1596, William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i], line 3:

     Take again
     From this my hand, as holding of the Pope
     Your sovereign greatness and authority.

4. (obsolete) Logic; consistency.
   • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s VVell, that Ends VVell”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene ii], line 27:

     This has no holding,
     To swear by him whom I protest to love
     That I will work against him.

5. (obsolete) The burden or chorus of a song.
   • c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene vii], line 109:

     Make battery to our ears with the loud music;
     The while I'll place you; then the boy shall sing.
     The holding every man shall beat as loud
     As his strong sides can volley.

6. (obsolete, rare) That which holds, binds, or influences; hold; influence; power.
   • 1770, Edmund Burke, Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents, London: J. Dodsley, page 104:

     This is one of the principal holdings of that destructive system, which has endeavoured to unhinge all the virtuous, honourable, and useful connexions in the kingdom.

7. (in texts about Russia, nonstandard) A holding company, or other kind of company (by back-translation from Russian холдинг (xolding)).

• (determination): finding

• → Polish: holding

holding

1. present participle of hold

   They were caught holding hands in the dark.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., OCLC 222716698:

     Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps, […] , and the light of the reflector fell full upon her.

• hodling

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holding m or f (plural holdings)

1. holding company

• “holding”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Unadapted borrowing from English holding.

holding f (invariable)

1. holding company

Borrowed from English holding.

• IPA^(key): /ˈxɔl.diŋk/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔldiŋk
• Syllabification: hol‧ding

holding m inan

1. (business) holding company

• holding in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• holding in Polish dictionaries at PWN

From French holding, from English holding.

holding n (plural holdinguri)

1. holding company

holding m (plural holdings)

1. holding company

• “holding”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

From English holding.

• IPA^(key): /hɔl.diɲɟ/

holding (definite accusative holdingi, plural holdingler)

1. holding company