Withhold
/wɪðˈhoʊld/noun
To refuse to give something that is due, expected, or requested.
Did you know?The word is an old Germanic compound, and its second half is the same ancient root behind a whole family of “holding” words—proof that language has always treated control as a kind of power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wiþihaldaną
“to hold back, keep away”
Old English
OE
wiðhealdan
“to hold against, restrain, keep back”
Middle English
ME
withholden
“to restrain, keep from, refuse to grant”
14th Century
English
withholde
“to keep back or retain”
Modern English
English
withhold
“to refuse to give or grant; to keep back”