Beholds

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To see or observe something or someone, often with attention or interest
2. To look at or notice something with awareness or intent
3. To perceive visually an object, person, or scene, usually implying thoughtful observation

Etymology: "Beholds" is the third-person singular present form of "behold", so its story is really the story of "behold". The verb grew from Old English "behealdan", which meant far more than looking. Its core sense was to hold, possess or keep, and it could also mean to preserve, restrain, take care of, or beware. Sight only became its dominant meaning over the centuries, so a word that now means gazing upon something once meant grasping or guarding it. The prefix "be-" gave the verb its intensifying force, while "hold" supplied the basic idea of keeping something in one's grip. Its relatives across the Germanic languages show the same pattern: Dutch "behouden" and German "behalten" both still mean to keep or retain. English, by contrast, narrowed the word toward the act of watching, so that holding onto something came to mean holding it in view.

Synonyms: sees, witnesses, observes, views, notices

Antonyms: ignores, misses, overlooks