Added 10 October 2026
beholden
/bɪˈhəʊldən/ adjective
adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about beholden at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Under a moral obligation to someone.
Origin
From Middle English biholden (“beholden, obligated”), past participle of biholden (“to behold, look at”, modern behold), though that verb does not mean "to bind, obligate".
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)