forhold

From Middle English forholden, forh(e)alden, from Old English forhealdan (“to forsake, fall away from, rebel against, let go, defile, pollute, withhold, misuse, abuse”), equivalent to for- +‎ hold. Cognate with Dutch verhouden (“to relate”), Low German vorholden (“to detain”), German verhalten (“to control, restrain”), Danish forholde (“to relate”), Norwegian forholde (“to deal”).

forhold (third-person singular simple present forholds, present participle forholding, simple past forheld, past participle forheld or forholden)

1. (transitive) To detain; hold up; hold back; retain; withhold; limit.
   • 1682, Thomas Comber, An historial Vindication of the divine Right of Tithes:

     King Alfred, his Son, when he made the League Guthran King of the Danes, An.878. made a Law to lay pecuniary Mulcts on all English or Danes, who should detain or forhold their Tithes, the Dane being to forfeit Twenty shillings, [...]

   • 1912, United States Congress, Congressional edition - Page 721:

     "[...] When the subject of contract is lawful, not public in its character, and the exercise of it is purely private and personal to the parties it can not be forholden or limited by the legislature."

   • 1964, Prentice-Hall, inc, Prentice-Hall federal taxes: Volume 3:

     Persona with incomes under $600 forheld from their wages.

• Holford

From the verb forholde, ultimately from Middle Low German vorholden.

forhold n (singular definite forholdet, plural indefinite forhold)

1. relation
2. relationship
3. proportion
4. condition
5. ratio

• relation
• holdning
• proportion, størrelsesforhold

forhold

1. imperative of forholde

• “forhold” in Den Danske Ordbog

From German Verhältnis

• Audio

  (file)

forhold n (definite singular forholdet, indefinite plural forhold, definite plural forholda or forholdene)

1. relation; the manner in which two things may be associated.
2. relationship; a romantic or sexual involvement.
3. proportion; the relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree.
4. condition; the state or quality of something, e.g. værforhold: weather conditions
5. a ratio

• “forhold” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From German Verhältnis

forhold n (definite singular forholdet, indefinite plural forhold, definite plural forholda)

1. relation; the manner in which two things may be associated.
2. relationship; a romantic or sexual involvement.
3. proportion; the relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree.
4. condition; the state or quality of something.
5. a ratio

• arbeidsforhold
• forholdsvis
• leveforhold
• sjøforhold

• “forhold” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.