keep
pronunciation
How to pronounce keep in British English:
UK [kiːp]
How to pronounce keep in American English:
US [kiːp]
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- Noun:
- the financial means whereby one lives
- the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress
- a cell in a jail or prison
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- Verb:
- keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean"
- continue a certain state, condition, or activity
- retain possession of
- prevent from doing something or being in a certain state
- conform one's action or practice to
- observe correctly or closely
- look after; be the keeper of; have charge of
- maintain by writing regular records
- supply with room and board
- allow to remain in a place or position
- supply with necessities and support
- fail to spoil or rot
- celebrate, as of holidays or rites
- keep under control; keep in check
- maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger
- raise
- retain rights to
- store or keep customarily
- have as a supply
- maintain for use and service
- hold and prevent from leaving
- prevent (food) from rotting
Word Origin
- keep
- keep: [OE] For all that it is one of the commonest verbs in the language, remarkably little is known about the history of keep. It first appears in texts around the year 1000. It is assumed to have existed before then, but not to have belonged to a sufficiently ‘literary’ level of the language to have been written down. Nor has a link been established for certain with any words in other Germanic languages, although suggestions that have been put forward include Old High German kuofa ‘barrel’ (a relative of English coop), from the notion of its being something for ‘keeping’ things in, and also (since in the late Old English period keep was used for ‘watch’) Old Norse kópa ‘stare’.
- keep (v.)
- late Old English cepan "to seize, hold," also "to observe," from Proto-Germanic *kopijan, but with no certain connection to other languages. It possibly is related to Old English capian "to look," from Proto-Germanic *kap- (cepan was used c. 1000 to render Latin observare), which would make the basic sense "to keep an eye on."The word prob. belongs primarily to the vulgar and non-literary stratum of the language; but it comes up suddenly into literary use c. 1000, and that in many senses, indicating considerable previous development. [OED]Sense of "preserve, maintain" is from mid-14c. Meaning "to maintain in proper order" is from 1550s; meaning "financially support and privately control" (usually in reference to mistresses) is from 1540s. Related: Kept; keeping.
- keep (n.)
- mid-13c., "care or heed in watching," from keep (v.). Meaning "innermost stronghold of a tower" is from 1580s, perhaps a translation of Italian tenazza, with a notion of "that which keeps" (someone or something); the sense of "food required to keep a person or animal" is attested from 1801. For keeps "completely, for good" is American English colloquial, from 1861.
Example
- 1. That 's why we keep ticket prices as low as we can . "
- 2. That increase helped green mountain keep its second-place spot from last year 's list .
- 3. First , she decided to keep the pc business .
- 4. • Keep the relationship positive and productive .
- 5. Keep an eye out for warning signs