noun
holding
HOHLD-ing/ˈhəʊldɪŋ/
Something owned as property or an investment.
The orchard is one of the owner's small land holdings.
Etymology
From the verb meaning to retain or possess, holding shifted from the act of keeping to the thing kept. Land held by someone supplied an early property sense, later extended to assets such as shares and bonds.
In context
The manor court sits every 3 weeks in many places, handling everything from a disputed boundary to a stolen goose to the transfer of a holding from a dead father to a living son.
More examples
- Her investment holdings included several bonds.
- The company sold its overseas holdings.
- Each holding was listed in the estate records.
Forms
holding · holdings
Similar words
- asset
- A broader term for something owned that has value.
- possession
- Any owned thing, not necessarily property or an investment.