DictionaryRoot: haldan
Old English
haldan
to hold, retain
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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.