▪ I. hield, heeld, heald, v. Obs. or dial.
(hiːld)
Forms: 1 hieldan, hyldan, heldan, (1–4 3rd s. hylt, helt), 2–5 helde(n, 3 healden, hælden, 4 heyld, (heill), 4–5 held, heelde, hilde, 4–6 heild, hield(e, hylde, 5–7 heeld, 9 dial. heald. See also heel v.2, hell v.1 pa. tense 1 hylde, 3 heolde, hæld(e, halde, 4 held(e, helte, hild(e, 5 (9 Sc.) helt; also held-, heilded(e, etc. pa. pple. 1 hylded, 4 helded, held, etc.
[OE. hięldan, late WS. hyldan, Kentish hęldan, Angl. hældan = OS. -hęldian (af-hęldian to decline), MDu., MLG. helden, Du. hellen to slope, overhang, OHG. hęldan (:—haldjan), MHG. helden to incline, lean:—OTeut. type *halþjan, f. *halþo-, OHG. hald, OE. heald, ON. hallr inclined, sloping, bent to one side.]
I. Intransitive uses.
1. To bend downwards or to one side; to lean, incline, slope. Obs. or dial. (See also heel v.2 1.)
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxiii. §4 Heo ne helt on nane healfe. c 1205 Lay. 29642 Austin a cneowe heolde Adun to þere uolde. a 1300 Cursor M. 24407 Þan lete he dun his heued heild. c 1440 Hylton Scala Perf. (W. de W. 1494) ii. xxv, A cyte sette vpon an hylle heldinge to the southe. 1483 Cath. Angl. 180/2 To Helde..to bowe. 1501 Douglas Pal. Hon. iii. ix, This gudely carvell..Now sank scho low, now hie to heuin vpheildit. 1530 Palsgr. 585/1, I hylde, I leane on the one syde, as a bote or shyp or any other vessell. Ibid., Sytte fast..for the bote begynneth to hylde. 1559 Morwyng Evonym. 351 Let it be laid in a dish hielding toward the one syde. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xi. 53 We say a Ship doth heeld on Starboord or Larboord, that is, to that side shee doth leane most. 1678 Phillips (ed. 4), Heeld [so ed. 1696; ed. Kersey 1706 heel], a term in Navigation, a Ship heelds..that is, leans most to that side. 1825 Brockett, Heald, to incline, to bend laterally. |
† b. To bow, submit. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 22235 All folk to rome suld heild, And truage als til hefd yeild. 13.. Coer de L. 791 If ever I stope or held, I hope never to be scheld! a 1400–50 Alexander 1622 Nouthire haylsid I him ne hildid him nouthire. |
† 2. To sink, droop, decline, fall; to come or go down (lit. and fig.). Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 3915 Suððen he adun halde. Ibid. 16478 Heo smiten a þan hæðene þæt heo adun helden. a 1300 E.E. Psalter ci. 12 [cii. 11] Mine daies als schadwe helded þai. c 1340 Cursor M. 6431 (Fairf.) Be þe sunne be-gan to helde Wiþ israel was left þe felde. a 1400–50 Alexander 3201 Doun he hildis all to-hewyn þaire handis be-twene. c 1430 Syr Gener. 4444 Ismael so Generides smet..That Generides began to helde; Welnigh he had goon to ground. |
† 3. To bend one's course, turn in a particular direction; to take one's way; to go or come. Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 6115 He to scipe wende And fram þan londe hælde. Ibid. 20186 Arður halde after Mid þritti þusend cnihten. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 39 Þen þe harlot with haste helded to þe table. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1922 Þenne þay helden to home. |
† 4. To turn away or aside (lit. and fig.). Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 8878 A-weiward he halde, and nolde hit iheren. a 1300 E.E. Psalter xiii[i]. 3 Alle helded þai samen ai. c 1325 Metr. Hom. 83 Scho heldid sone to synfull layke. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xiii. 4 All thai heldid, to gidere thai ere made vnprofitabile. |
5. To incline to; to be of the party of, take up with, favour. Obs. or dial.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 17462 All þat wit him heilded or held. Ibid. 19805 Þar was a man heldand to right, Cornelius to nam he hight. c 1325 Metr. Hom. 80 If thou will to my langynge helde. 1375 Barbour Bruce vi. 353 It [valour] wald till hardyment hald [v.rr. heyld, heill] haly, With-thi away war the foly. 1828 Craven Dial., Heald, to be favourable to, ‘he healds au to yan side’. |
II. Transitive uses.
† 6. To cause to take a downward or sloping position; to incline, bow, bend down. Obs.
| Beowulf (Z.) 687 Hylde hine þa heaþo-deor. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxiv. 5 Þa hiᵹ adredon, and hyra andwlitan on eorþan hyldun. a 1300 E.E. Psalter xvi[i]. 6 Helde þine ere to me. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xvii. 11 He heldid heuens and he lightid down. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 234/2 Heldyn, or bowyn, inclino, flecto, deflecto. |
7. To pour out (liquor) by sloping or tilting the vessel that contains it; hence gen. to pour, shed (lit. and fig.). Obs. or dial. See also hell v.1
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 213 To drinken..þat he sholde spelien wrecche men, oðer raðer helden hit ut þene men þermide fordrenchen. a 1225 Ancr. R. 428 Me schal helden eoli and win beoðe ine wunden. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxi. 13 As watere i am helt. 1382 Wyclif Lam. ii. 4 [He] heeldide [1388 schedde] out as fyr his indignacioun. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. viii. 323 In this dai venom is hildid into the chirche of God. 1674 Ray N.C. Words 24 To Heald, as when you pour out of a Pot. 1807 J. Stagg Poems 11 Some they helt it [drink] down sea fast, They suin cud hardly stan. |
Hence ˈhielded ppl. a., inclined, tilted; ˈhielding vbl. n., sloping, declension, pouring out; ˈhielding ppl. a., leaning, inclining (lit. and fig.).
| a 1300 E.E. Psalter lxi. 4 [lxii. 3] Als a heldeand wagh mai be, And a stane wall doune-put. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xiii. 4 With that heldynge thai ere made vnprofitabile. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Clemens 397 Þe mone..In heldyne was of Martis house. c 1430 Hymns Virg. 23 Þat y be no þing hildande To loue uerrili þe worldis wele. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 234/2 Heldynge, or bowynge..inclinacio. 1627–47 Feltham Resolves ii. xxxvi. 367 Pleasure..is at best but a hilded vessell. |
▪ II. † hield, heeld, heald, n. Obs.
Forms: 1–5 helde, 2 hulde (ü), 4–5 held, 6 heild, 9 heald.
[OE. *hięlde, hylde, hęlde, wk. fem. f. hięldan: see hield v. But in later use perh. formed anew from the vb. stem.]
1. A slope, incline, declivity.
| 943 Charter in Kemble Cod. Dipl. III. 418 Ðonne andlang ðære dic oð ðæs clifes norð hyldan. a 1000 Ags. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 205/36 Cliuium, i. discensum, helde, burhsteal. a 1200 Moral Ode 343 Hi muwen lihtliche gon, mid ðere nuðer hulde..in-to ane bare felde. c 1250 Hymn to God 22 in Trin. Coll. Hom. App. 258 In heldes and in hulle. 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 3442 Þe narwe paþe bi-tven the held. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. viii. 22 Neepis loueth heldis. 1513 Douglas æneis vii. Prol. 48 Montayne toppis sleikit wyth snaw our heildis. |
b. on held: in a bent or stooping posture.
| c 1460 Towneley Myst. (Surtees) 154 So I hobylle alle on held That unethes may I walk for eld. |
2. fig. Inclination; declension, decline.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1520 As vchon hade hym in helde he haled of þe cuppe. 1599 Nashe Lenten Stuffe Ep. Ded. (1871) 14 His purse is on the heild. |
3. Naut. = heel n.2
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Heald, the heel over of a grounded ship. |
▪ III. hield
obs. pa. tense of hold v.