Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for KEEP
KEEP, v.t. [pret. and pp. kept. Sax. cepan, Syr. ܟܒܐ kaba, Eth. ዐቀበ akaba, to keep. Class Gb, No. 68, 85. The word coincides in elements with have, L. habeo, and capio, but I think the radical sense to be different.]
- To hold; to retain in one's power or possession; not to lose or part with; as, to keep a house or a farm; to keep any thing in the memory, mind or heart.
- To have in custody for security or preservation. The crown of Stephanus, first king of Hungary, was always kept in the castle of Vicegrade. – Knolles.
- To preserve; to retain. The Lord God, merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for thousands. – Ex. xxxiv.
- To preserve from falling or from danger; to protect; to guard or sustain. And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee. – Gen. xxviii. Luke iv.
- To hold or restrain from departure; to detain. That I may know what keeps me here with you. – Dryden.
- To tend; to have the care of. And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it. – Gen. ii.
- To tend; to feed; to pasture; as, to keep a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle in a yard or in a field. He keeps his horses on oats or on hay.
- To preserve in any tenor or state. Keep a stiff rein. Keep the constitution sound. – Addison.
- To regard; to attend to. While the stars and course of heaven I keep. – Dryden.
- To hold in any state; as, to keep in order.
- To continue any state, course or action; as, to keep silence; to keep the same road or the same pace; to keep reading or talking; to keep a given distance.
- To practice; to do or perform; to obey; to observe in practice; not to neglect or violate; as, to keep the laws, statutes or commandments of God. – Scripture.
- To fulfill; to perform; as, to keep one's word, promise or covenant.
- To practice; to use habitually; as, to keep bad hours. – Pope.
- To copy carefully. Her servant's eyes were fix'd upon her face, / And as she moved or turned, her motions viewed, / Her measures kept, and step by step pursued. – Dryden.
- To observe or solemnize. Ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord. – Ex. xii.
- To board; to maintain; to supply with necessaries of life. The men are kept at a moderate price per week.
- To have in the house; to entertain; as, to keep lodgers.
- To maintain; not to intermit; as, to keep watch or guard.
- To hold in one's own bosom; to confine to one's own knowledge; not to disclose or communicate to others; not to betray; as, to keep a secret; to keep one's own counsel.
- To have in pay; as, to keep a servant. To keep back, to reserve; to withhold; not to disclose or communicate. I will keep nothing back from you. – Jer. xlii. #2. To restrain; to prevent from advancing. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins. – Ps. xix. #3. To reserve; to withhold; not to deliver. – Acts v. To keep company with, to frequent the society of; to associate with. Let youth keep company with the wise and good. #2. To accompany; to go with; as, to keep company with one on a journey or voyage. To keep down, to prevent from rising; not to lift or suffer to be raised. To keep in, to prevent from escape; to hold in confinement. #2. To conceal; not to tell or disclose. #3. To restrain; to curb. – Locke. To keep off, to hinder from approach or attack; as, to keep off an enemy or an evil. To keep under, to restrain; to hold in subjection; as, to keep under an antagonist or a conquered country; to keep under the appetites and passions. To keep up, to maintain; to prevent from falling or diminution; as, to keep up the price of goods; to keep up one's credit. #2. To maintain; to continue; to hinder from ceasing. In joy, that which keeps up the action is the desire to continue it. – Locke. To keep out, to hinder from entering or taking possession. To keep bed, to remain in bed without rising; to be confined to one's bed. To keep house, to maintain a family state. His income enables him to keep house. #2. To remain in the house; to be confined. His feeble health obliges him to keep house. To keep from, to restrain; to prevent approach. To keep a school, to maintain or support it; as, the town or its inhabitants keep ten schools; more properly, to govern and instruct or teach a school, as a preceptor. To keep a term, in universities, is to reside during a term.
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