Word: keep Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English kepen (“to keep, guard, look after, watch”), from Old English cēpan (“to seize, hold, observe”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *kōpijaną (“to look, heed, watch, observe”) (compare West Frisian kypje (“to look”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵab-, *ǵāb- (“to look after”) (compare Lithuanian žẽbti (“to eat reluctantly”), Russian забо́та (zabóta, “care, worry”)). The dialectal sense of the verb meaning “to put back” or “put away” may be analyzed as a semantic loan from a local language—compare Welsh cadw and Mandarin 收 (shōu). Pronunciation: /kiːp/, [kiːp], [kʰɪjp], [k̟çi(ː)p], [k(ʰ)i(ː)p] 1. To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain. Labels: transitive Example: to keep silence; to keep possession 2. To remain faithful to a given promise or word. Labels: transitive Example: to keep one's word; to keep one's promise Example: Both day and night did we keep company. 3. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive Example: I keep a small stock of painkillers for emergencies. Example: I only meant to lend him the shirt at first, but it looked better on him than me, so I told him to keep it. 4. To hold the status of something. Labels: ditransitive, transitive Example: I keep my specimens under glass to protect them. Example: The abundance of squirrels kept the dogs running for hours. 5. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive Example: I used to keep a diary. 6. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive 7. To hold the status of something. Labels: archaic, transitive Example: Metrocles somewhat indiscreetly, as he was disputing in his Schole, in presence of his auditory, let a fart, for shame whereof he afterwards kept his house and could not be drawen abroad[…]. Example: The wrathful skies / Gallow the very wanderers of the dark / And make them keep their caves. 8. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive Example: I keep my pet gerbil away from my brother. Example: Don't let me keep you; I know you have things to be doing. 9. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive Example: May the Lord keep you from harm. Example: cursse on thy cruell hond, / That twise hath sped; yet shall it not thee keepe / From the third brunt of this my fatall brond […] 10. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive Example: He kept a mistress for over ten years. 11. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive Example: He has been keeping orchids since retiring. Example: Here John had to keep cows with other boys, and they used to drive them to graze about the Nine-hills. 12. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive Example: I know that it's a secret / And that I gotta keep it / But I want the lights on / Yeah, I want the lights on 13. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive Example: like a pedant that keeps a school Example: They were honourably accompanied and with great estate brought to London, where euery of them kept house by himselfe. 14. To hold the status of something. Labels: transitive 15. To hold or be held in a state. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: She kept to her bed while the fever lasted. Example: Knock at his study, where, they say, he keeps, / To ruminate strange plots of dire revenge; […] 16. To hold or be held in a state. Labels: intransitive Example: I keep taking the tablets, but to no avail. Example: Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. […] Next day she […] tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head. Then, thwarted, the wretched creature went to the police for help; she was versed in the law, and perhaps had spared no pains to keep on good terms with the local constabulary. 17. To hold or be held in a state. Labels: intransitive Example: Potatoes can keep if they are in a root cellar. Example: Latex paint won't keep indefinitely. 18. To hold or be held in a state. Labels: copulative, intransitive Example: The rabbit avoided detection by keeping still. Example: Keep calm! There's no need to panic. 19. To hold or be held in a state. Labels: UK, intransitive, obsolete 20. To wait for, keep watch for. Labels: obsolete Example: And thenne whan the damoysel knewe certaynly that he was not syre launcelot / thenne she took her leue and departed from hym / And thenne syre Trystram rode pryuely vnto the posterne where kepte hym la beale Isoud / and there she made hym good chere and thanked god of his good spede 21. To act as wicket-keeper. Labels: intransitive Example: Godfrey Evans kept for England for many years. 22. To take care; to be solicitous; to watch. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: […] kepe that the lustes choke not the word of God that is sowen in vs, 23. To be in session; to take place. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: School keeps today. 24. To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; to not swerve from or violate. Labels: transitive Example: I have kept the faith: […] Example: Be strong, live happie, and love, but first of all / Him whom to love is to obey, and keep / His great command; […] 25. To visit (a place) often; to frequent. Labels: broadly, dated, transitive Example: […] 'tis hallowed ground; No Maid seeks here her strayed Cow, or Sheep, Fairies, and fawns, and satyrs do it keep: 26. To observe or celebrate (a holiday). Labels: dated, transitive Example: to keep the Sabbath Example: The feast of St. Stephen is kept on December 26. 27. To put (something) back (to its original location or appropriate place); to put away. Labels: Singapore, Wales, transitive Example: Please keep these books. Example: […] semantic shift: e.g., to send (“to give a lift”), to keep (“to put away”), to hack (“to remove carefully,” e.g., tiles, plaster, etc.), knock (“to remove a dent from a car”), bluff (“to joke”), stay (“to live”) […]