Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Boldness; courage; confidence; feeling of security.
  • noun Resource; help; relief; means of help or relief; support; sustenance.
  • noun Shelter; refuge; protection.
  • noun A place of shelter.
  • To make bold; give courage or confidence to.
  • To defend; protect; shelter.
  • To be bold or confident; grow bold or strong.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Scot. A shelter. Same as beild.
  • transitive verb Scot. To shelter.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To make bold, give courage or confidence to.
  • verb transitive To defend, protect or shelter.
  • noun boldness, courage; confidence; a feeling of security, assurance.
  • noun resource, help, relief; a means of help or relief; support; sustenance.
  • noun shelter, refuge or protection.
  • noun A place of shelter, a refuge.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English beelden, belden, from Old English byldan, bieldan ("to encourage, embolden"), from Proto-Germanic *balþijanan (“to make bold”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (“to inflate, swell”). Cognate with Old Saxon beldjan ("to encourage"), Old High German baldēn ("to make bold") (Middle High German belden), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (balþjan, "to make bold").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English beeld, beld, from Old English byldo, bieldo ("courage, boldness"), from Proto-Germanic *balþīn (“boldness”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhel- (“to inflate, swell”). Cognate with Old High German baldī ("boldness, courage") (Middle High German belde), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹 (balþei, "boldness, courage"). More at bold.

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