Overholding

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. Staying in a rented property after the lease or rental period has ended without permission
2. Continuing to occupy a leased premises beyond the expiration of the rental agreement without consent
3. Remaining in possession of hired premises past the term set by the contract without landlord approval

Etymology: Overholding is a word that has been carried along from Old English through Middle English, and its parts still show clearly. The verb "overhold" comes from Old English "oferhealdan," which meant "to overcome, overtake, hold over, delay to do, neglect." That sense of holding on past a point, or delaying what should have been done, is the thread that leads to the modern meaning of staying in a place after the right to be there has ended. The word is built from "over," from Proto-Germanic "uber," meaning "over," and "hold," from Proto-Germanic "haldaną." Put together, the idea is simply keeping something in your grasp beyond the time or limit that applies to it. Its relatives in other languages show the same range: Dutch "overhouden" can mean "to hang on" or "save," German "überhalten" means "to hold on to, keep," and Danish "overholde" means "to observe."