DictionaryRoot: be-
Old English
be-
around; thoroughly; make or affect
Forms
- be-
Origin
Proto-Germanic *bi, ‘by; near; around.’
Note
Often turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to treat something in that way.
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adjective
beholden
bih-HOHL-dun/bɪˈhəʊldən/
Owing someone gratitude or a favor in return for help.
Etymology
The hold element survives in an old participle now meaning “bound in gratitude.” Although beholden began as a participle of behold, no directly matching obligation sense of that verb is recorded.