▪ I. ˈuphold, n. Chiefly Sc. and north. dial.
Also Sc. 5–6 vp- (6 wp-, oup-), uphald, 8 uphad, 9 uphadd, -haud, uppal; 9 north. uphod.
[OE. uppheald (f. up- 1 b + heald hold n.1), = ON. upphald (Norw. upphald; MSw. up-, ophald, -hold, MDa. and Da. ophold), MLG. upholt, MDu. ophout; MHG. ûfhalt (G. aufhalt) stop, delay; also MSw. uppe-, oppehald (Sw. uppehåll).]
1. A support or stay.
| a 1066 in Kemble Cod. Dipl. (1846) IV. 232 Ic eom ðæs mynstres mund and upheald. c 1200 Ormin 9217 Crist, Godess Sune,..Hælennde, & hellpe, & god upphald Till þa þatt he shall chesenn. 1559 Knox First Blast App. (Arb.) 58 So is the testimonye of a clean conscience to me a stay and vphold. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 45 O cruel creatures, quha dang doune sa strong a stay, piller, and vphald of the Realme! 1791 J. Learmont Poems 142 Deckit wi' French flutteration, Stap forth the uphads o' the nation. 1825 Jamieson s.v. Uppal, The death o' wives, and the luck o' sheep, are a puir man's uppal. 1894 A. Reid Sangs Heatherland 16 Wha'll cast the end gin aince ye try To pu' oor uphauds doon? |
2. The support, sustenance, or maintenance of a person, estate, etc. Also without const.
| α 1439 Sc. Acts, Jas. II (1814) II. 54/2 Þe said princesse..has..assignit..to þe uphald of our said soueryn lord and his sistris..iiij{supm} markis. 1456 Sir G. Hay Govt. Princes Wks. (S.T.S.) II. 153 The gudis ar the uphald of the lyf. c 1500 Cartul. St. Nicholai Aberdon. (New Spald. Cl.) I. 259 Sextene bredir singaris and abill men to ye vphald of devin service. 1552 Lyndesay Tragedy 191, I wes the cause of mekle more myschance, For vphald of my glore and dignitie. 1597 Sc. Acts, Jas. VI (1814) IV. 154/2 Oure said souerane Lord..Annexis..to þe same citye..for þe better vphald þerof the foirsaidis liberteis. a 1598 D. Ferguson Coll. Sc. Prov. (S.T.S.) 84 Pride and sweirnesse wald have meikle uphald. 1808 Jamieson s.v. Uphald, Uphadd, support. |
| β 1483 in Rymer Fœdera (1711) XII. 174/1 To the upholde, maynteyne and encrease of their both Estatis. 1582 in Archaeologia (1846) XXX. 166 Those..placed here for the uphold and maintenance of the peace. 1680 in Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot. XLV. 241 The broad curse of God is on ministers and professors, for your joyning for their uphold. |
b. The maintaining of a building, etc., in proper repair.
| 1471 in Charters, &c. Edinb. (1871) 133 For the vphald, reparatioun and bigging of the sammyn [port]. 1527 Extr. Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 116 The biging of the brig of Dee, and..the gret offeris..be his lordschip, for the vphald of the samyn. 1588 Exchequer Rolls Scot. XXI. 403 Payit yeirlie..for uphald of the brig of Tay. |
c. north. dial. Personal maintenance (in respect of food, etc.).
| 1855– in dial. glossaries (Cumb., Yks.). |
▪ II. upˈhold, v.
Forms: α. 3–4 upholden, 4–6 vp-, 5–6 upholde, 5–7 vphold, 5– uphold (6 upphold); north. dial. 8–9 uphowd (8 upphoud), 9 uphod. β. 4 vp-haldene; north. and Sc. 5 vpp-, uppehalde, 4, 6 vp-, uphald, 9 -uppal, 8–9 uphaud, 9 uphadd.
[up- 4. Cf. OFris. op-, uphalda (WFris. ophâlde), MLG. upholden (LG. upholden, -hollen), (M)Du. ophouden, MSw. up-, ophalda, -halla, -holda, etc., Da. opholde, MHG. ûfhalten (G. aufhalten); also MSw. uppe-, oppehalda (Sw. uppehålla).]
1. trans. To support or sustain physically; to keep from falling or sinking.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 538 Hijs fete him bers up fra fall, Als þe erth vp haldes all. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2079 Þe heuen was vp halt, bot vgly þer vnder. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 75 He hire in hise armes fast Uphield. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. iv. 82 A lighter vyne is with a lesse Stakyng vpholde. 1483 Cath. Angl. 404/2 To Vpphalde, sustentare, supportare. 1515 Barclay Eclogues iv. (1570) C vi b/1 With marble pillers the building to vpholde, About be turrets of shape moste excellent. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. viii. 40 Whose feeble thighes, vnhable to vphold His pined corse, him scarse to light could beare. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. i. 697 An Altar..which I saw there, vpholding now the Staires of an house. 1663 Bp. Patrick Parab. Pilgr. xxxvii, The winds that blew, and the rough waves.., were no less subject to that power which upheld him, than [etc.]. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 52 Coverings..must..be sufficient for upholding themselves, and their burthens. 1763 Mills Pract. Husb. IV. 359 Poles were extended between them, and these were up-held by props. 1807 Crabbe Par. Reg. iii. 938 No more his span-girth shanks..Upheld a body of smaller size. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 47 The leading strings, which preserve and uphold the infant. 1880 Jefferies Gt. Estate 33 The slender stems uphold the cup-like flowers two or three inches above the surface. |
2. To support, sustain, maintain, by aid or assistance; to preserve unimpaired or intact.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 140 Teke þis, heo mot ȝete þuruh hire uorbisne..ȝiuen oðre strenðe, & upholden ham, þet heo ne uallen iðe dunge of sunne. a 1250 Prov. Alfred 171 For nys no w[u]rt..þat euer mvwe þas feye furþ vp-holde [Trin. Coll. MS. þe lif up helde]. c 1320 Cast. Love 609 A child þer is i-boren to vs,..Þat schal vp-holden his kynedome. 1389 in Eng. Gilds (1870) 110 The gilde bretherun..that this gilde furst begonne, and lengest sal vp-haldene. 1462–3 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 268 Falshode, myschyef, secret synne upholdyng, Whiche hathe caused..endelez langoure. 1488 Act 4 Hen. VII, c. 12 §2 The housbondrie..wherby the Chirche of Engleind is upholden. 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 10 §1 The Citie..hathe been mainteyned and upholden by divers and sundrye handye craftes there used. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, iii. iii. 106 While Life vpholds this Arme, This Arme vpholds the House of Lancaster. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. i. 2 Though great Nations may be upholden by power. 1671 Milton Samson 892 An impious crew Of men conspiring to uphold thir state By worse than hostile deeds. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 328 They had..some comforts however which might a little uphold their spirits. 1781 Cowper Retirem. 89 Thine, and upheld by thy paternal care, This universal frame. 1838 Thirlwall Greece xxxv. IV. 377 Rather to take the lead in a revolution, than steadily to uphold the established order of things. 1877 Freeman Norm. Conq. (ed. 3) II. App. 666 Malcolm continued to be powerfully upheld by English help. |
| absol. 1560 Bible Isaiah lxiii. 5, I loked, & there was none to helpe, & I wondered that there was none to vpholde. |
† b. To carry out, succeed in. Obs.—1
| c 1450 Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.) 214 He wyl us werke ryght mekyl shame, His fals purpos if he upholde. |
c. To maintain at the same level or standard.
| 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §66 That he rere two oxe-calues, and two cowe-calues,..to vpholde his flocke. 1832 Chalmers Pol. Econ. (1849) II. 60 Such a high style of husbandry cannot possibly be upholden. 1875 Economist 27 Feb. 260/1 Beans and peas..firmly uphold their value. 1883 Manch. Exam. 26 Nov. 4/2 The demand for yarns..has been very dull, but quotations have nevertheless been upheld. |
d. To sustain spiritually.
| 1820 J. J. Gurney in Reid Life W. E. Forster (1888) I. 33 Both William and his wife were marvellously upheld. 1824 Scott St. Ronan's xxxvii, God send she may not have been left to hersel'!—God send she may have been upholden! 1864 Tennyson En. Ard. 783 Uphold me, Father, in my loneliness A little longer! |
3. † a. To furnish or provide, to perform or discharge, regularly. Obs.
| a 1417 York Memo. Bk. (Surtees) I. 221 The whilk vj.s. viij.d...sall be keped..to upholde and releve a lyght to be borne..on Corpus Cristy day. 1444 Extr. Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 12 Williame Mathouson..sal vphald the ladymesse with uoce..ilke owke for a yher. 1539 in Abst. Protocols Town Clerks of Glasgow (1897) IV. 118 The said maister to uphald and fynd ane pryckat of wax nychtlie byrneand. |
b. To maintain in good condition or in a proper state of repair.
| 1511 Reg. Privy Seal Scotl. I. 344/2 That the saidis landis salbe uphaldin and keipit unharmit or skaithit. 1535 Act 27 Hen. VIII, c. 22 §1 If any Owner..shuld..occupie any suche mese or land..he shulde..uphold and susteyne the same. 1563 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 246 The Abbottis..wer accustomat.., upoun thair expenssis, to uphald and big the wallis. 1631 Weever Anc. Funeral Mon. 333 This Church is vpholden in wondrous good repaire. 1701 in W. O. Blunt Ch. Chester-le-Street (1884) 104 Paid Thos. Pearson for upholding y⊇ bell wheels for 7 yeare. 1753 Scots Mag. Apr. 164/2 Provided that the city be obliged to uphold the..buildings in repair. 1816 Scott Antiq. i, It's Jamie Martingale that furnishes the naigs on contract, and uphauds them. 1833 Stat. 3 & 4 Wm. IV, c. 46 §101 Every person..shall uphold and keep in proper repair the fences aforesaid. 1894 Westm. Gaz. 3 May 2/3 He was also bound by a covenant in the lease to ‘uphold’ the premises. |
c. To provide with sustenance; to support with food, etc. Now dial.
| 1546 Reg. Cupar Abbey II. 36 [He] sall vphald honestlie in meit and claytht..the said Jhone Alane. 1574 Satir. Poems Reform. xlii. 380 Rentis sufficient to vphauld Ane gude number of sic Studentis. 1615 Markham Country Contentm. i. viii. 101 The best generall foods for the ordinarie vpholding of a dogge in a good state of body. [1684 J. S. Profit & Pleas. United 163 The best Food for upholding a dog.] 1863 Mrs. Toogood Spec. Yorks. Dial. (MS.), I kept my brother some time, but he was so wasteful I couldn't uphod him any longer. |
4. To support by advocacy or assent; to sustain against objection or criticism.
| 1485 Caxton Paris & V. (1868) 12 Other knyghtes rise vp that mayntened and vpheld the beaute of Vyenne. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. xlv. 153 This worde was vpholden and obserued. 1530 Palsgr. 769/1 Sythe he hath sayde it, I wyll upholde it. 1598 R. Bernard tr. Terence, Andria iv. iii, See that thou be readie to answer and vphold my talke. 1753–4 Richardson Grandison III. xxvi. 309 He does nothing but hop, skip, and dance about me, grin and make mouths; and every-body upholds him in it. 1781 Burke Corr. (1844) II. 451 Perhaps I have wished to uphold with enthusiasm the honour and dignity of the community I belong to. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) I. 522 The owner of the inheritance, who was interested in upholding it [sc. an arrangement]. 1869 J. Martineau Ess. II. 57 This plea..upholds a practice essentially unjust. 1890 Law Times' Rep. LXIII. 733/2 He refused to answer that question, and was upheld in his refusal by the learned judge. 1893 Ibid. LXVIII. 444/1 On appeal to the County Court Judge..the decision of the registrar was upheld. |
b. To maintain (a statement), to warrant or guarantee (a fact). Now chiefly north. dial. and Sc.
Orig. with complementary object or clause. In later usage freq. in loose construction, esp. in dialect forms (see β and Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v.). Also with indirect personal dative.
| α 1530 Palsgr. 769/1, I upholde a ware or marchaundyse to be good. Ibid., I wyll upholde hym for as sounde a horse as any is in Englande. 1583 Golding Calvin on Deut. Pref. Ep. 2 The other side upholdeth..that it is a vilainous defiling of religion. 1653 W. Blithe English Improver Impr. 86, I dare uphold one Acre would be as good as divers now are in many parts of it. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xxix, I know that shall make Varney uphold me sober. 1853 C. M. Yonge Heir of Redclyffe xli, He always upheld that you acted for his good. 1897 Rhoscomyl White Rose Arno 274 Your names'll do for Chapel, I'll uphold. |
| β 1787 Grose Prov. Gloss., Uphowd, to warrant. 1793 T. Scott Poems 357 I'se uphaud ye Owr the lugs i' love to be. 1807 R. Anderson Cumbld. Ball. 121, I'll uphod ye, we's 'gree. 1820 Scott Monast. Introd. Ep., ‘I'se uphaud him a scholar,’ answered David. 1861 Waugh Birtle Carter's T. 8 Yo'd rayther ha' loaf-brade, aw'll uphowd yo. 1891 Barrie Little Minister iii, It was no sport to them, Susy, I'se uphaud. |
5. To raise or lift up; to direct upwards.
| a 1400 Isumbras 52 The knyghte felle on his knes..And bothe his handis uphelde. c 1400 Destr. Troy 8760 With a noble sword..naked in his hond, Vp holdand on high as he þat wold stryke. c 1450 Songs, Carols, etc. (E.E.T.S.) 6/39 Vphold the flowr of gud Jesse, And worship it for ay bewte. c 1480 Henryson Fables, Lion & Mouse 188 Scho..baith hir handis vnto the heuin vpheld. 1513 Douglas æneid Concl. 8 The bettir part of me sal be vpheild Abuif the starnis perpetualy to ryng. 1618 Rowlands Sacred Mem. 24 With eyes vpheld To heauen, he did blesse. 1681 Dryden Abs. & Achit. i. 595 His Hand a Vare of Justice did uphold. 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn xxxix, They upheld their clenched hands..to plead for mercy. |