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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Keep \Keep\ (k[=e]p), verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Kept} (k[e^]pt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Keeping}.] [OE. k[=e]pen, AS. c[=e]pan to keep, regard, desire, await, take, betake; cf. AS. copenere lover, OE. copnien to desire.]
1. To care; to desire. [Obs.]
I kepe not of armes for to yelp [boast]. --Chaucer.
2. To hold; to restrain from departure or removal; not to let go of; to retain in one's power or possession; not to lose; to retain; to detain.
If we lose the field, We can not keep the town. --Shak.
That I may know what keeps me here with you. --Dryden.
If we would weigh and keep in our minds what we are considering, that would instruct us. --Locke.
3. To cause to remain in a given situation or condition; to maintain unchanged; to hold or preserve in any state or tenor.
His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal. --Milton.
Keep a stiff rein, and move but gently on. --Addison.
Note: In this sense it is often used with prepositions and adverbs, as to keep away, to keep down, to keep from, to keep in, out, or off, etc. ''To keep off impertinence and solicitation from his superior.'' --Addison.
4. To have in custody; to have in some place for preservation; to take charge of.
The crown of Stephanus, first king of Hungary, was always kept in the castle of Vicegrade. --Knolles.
5. To preserve from danger, harm, or loss; to guard.
Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee. --Gen. xxviii. 15.
6. To preserve from discovery or publicity; not to communicate, reveal, or betray, as a secret.
Great are thy virtues . . . though kept from man. --Milton.
7. To attend upon; to have the care of; to tend.
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it. --Gen. ii. 15.
In her girlish age, she kept sheep on the moor. --Carew.
8. To record transactions, accounts, or events in; as, to keep books, a journal, etc.; also, to enter (as accounts, records, etc. ) in a book.
9. To maintain, as an establishment, institution, or the like; to conduct; to manage; as, to keep store.
Like a pedant that keeps a school. --Shak.
Every one of them kept house by himself. --Hayward.
10. To supply with necessaries of life; to entertain; as, to keep boarders.
11. To have in one's service; to have and maintain, as an assistant, a servant, a mistress, a horse, etc.
I keep but three men and a boy. --Shak.
12. To have habitually in stock for sale.
13. To continue in, as a course or mode of action; not to intermit or fall from; to hold to; to maintain; as, to keep silence; to keep one's word; to keep possession.
Both day and night did we keep company. --Shak.
Within this portal as I kept my watch. --Smollett.
14. To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; not to swerve from or violate; to practice or perform, as duty; not to neglect; to be faithful to.
I have kept the faith. --2 Tim. iv. 7.
Him whom to love is to obey, and keep His great command. --Milton.
15. To confine one's self to; not to quit; to remain in; as, to keep one's house, room, bed, etc.; hence, to haunt; to frequent. --Shak.
'Tis hallowed ground; Fairies, and fawns, and satyrs do it keep. --J. Fletcher.
16. To observe duly, as a festival, etc.; to celebrate; to solemnize; as, to keep a feast.
I went with them to the house of God . . . with a multitude that kept holyday. --Ps. xlii. 4.
{To keep at arm's length}. See under {Arm}, noun
{To keep back}. (a) To reserve; to withhold. ''I will keep nothing back from you.'' --Jer. xlii. 4. (b) To restrain; to hold back. ''Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.'' --Ps. xix. 13.
{To keep company with}. (a) To frequent the society of; to associate with; as, let youth keep company with the wise and good. (b) To accompany; to go with; as, to keep company with one on a voyage; also, to pay court to, or accept attentions from, with a view to marriage. [Colloq.]
{To keep counsel}. See under {Counsel}, noun
{To keep down}. (a) To hold in subjection; to restrain; to hinder. (b) (Fine Arts) To subdue in tint or tone, as a portion of a picture, so that the spectator's attention may not be diverted from the more important parts of the work.
{To keep good hours} or {To keep bad hours}, to be customarily early (or late) in returning home or in retiring to rest.
{To keep house}. (a) To occupy a separate house or establishment, as with one's family, as distinguished from {boarding}; to manage domestic affairs. (b) (Eng. Bankrupt Law) To seclude one's self in one's house in order to evade the demands of creditors.
{To keep one's hand in}, to keep in practice.
{To keep open house}, to be hospitable.
{To keep the peace} (Law), to avoid or to prevent a breach of the peace.
{To keep school}, to govern, manage and instruct or teach a school, as a preceptor.
{To keep a stiff upper lip}, to keep up one's courage. [Slang]
{To keep term}. (a) (Eng. Universities) To reside during a term. (b) (Inns of Court) To eat a sufficient number of dinners in hall to make the term count for the purpose of being called to the bar. [Eng.] --Mozley & W.
{To keep touch}. See under {Touch}, noun
{To keep under}, to hold in subjection; hence, to oppress.
{To keep up}. (a) To maintain; to prevent from falling or diminution; as, to keep up the price of goods; to keep up one's credit. (b) To maintain; to continue; to prevent from ceasing. ''In joy, that which keeps up the action is the desire to continue it.'' --Locke.
Syn: To retain; detain; reserve; preserve; hold; restrain; maintain; sustain; support; withhold. -- To {Keep}.
Usage: {Retain}, {Preserve}. Keep is the generic term, and is often used where retain or preserve would too much restrict the meaning; as, to keep silence, etc. Retain denotes that we keep or hold things, as against influences which might deprive us of them, or reasons which might lead us to give them up; as, to retain vivacity in old age; to retain counsel in a lawsuit; to retain one's servant after a reverse of fortune. Preserve denotes that we keep a thing against agencies which might lead to its being destroyed or broken in upon; as, to preserve one's health; to preserve appearances.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Keep \Keep\, noun
1. The act or office of keeping; custody; guard; care; heed; charge. --Chaucer.
Pan, thou god of shepherds all, Which of our tender lambkins takest keep. --Spenser.
2. The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case; as, to be in good keep.
3. The means or provisions by which one is kept; maintenance; support; as, the keep of a horse.
Grass equal to the keep of seven cows. --Carlyle.
I performed some services to the college in return for my keep. --T. Hughes.
4. That which keeps or protects; a stronghold; a fortress; a castle; specifically, the strongest and securest part of a castle, often used as a place of residence by the lord of the castle, especially during a siege; the dungeon. See Illust. of {Castle}.
The prison strong, Within whose keep the captive knights were laid. --Dryden.
The lower chambers of those gloomy keeps. --Hallam.
I think . . . the keep, or principal part of a castle, was so called because the lord and his domestic circle kept, abode, or lived there. --M. A. Lower.
5. That which is kept in charge; a charge. [Obs.]
Often he used of his keep A sacrifice to bring. --Spenser.
6. (Mach.) A cap for retaining anything, as a journal box, in place.
{To take keep}, to take care; to heed. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Keep \Keep\, verb (used without an object)
1. To remain in any position or state; to continue; to abide; to stay; as, to keep at a distance; to keep aloft; to keep near; to keep in the house; to keep before or behind; to keep in favor; to keep out of company, or out reach.
2. To last; to endure; to remain unimpaired.
If the malt be not thoroughly dried, the ale it makes will not keep. --Mortimer.
3. To reside for a time; to lodge; to dwell. [Now disused except locally or colloquially.]
Knock at his study, where, they say, he keeps. --Shak.
4. To take care; to be solicitous; to watch. [Obs.]
Keep that the lusts choke not the word of God that is in us. --Tyndale.
5. To be in session; as, school keeps to-day. [Colloq.]
{To keep from}, to abstain or refrain from.
{To keep in with}, to keep on good terms with; as, to keep in with an opponent.
{To keep on}, to go forward; to proceed; to continue to advance.
{To keep to}, to adhere strictly to; not to neglect or deviate from; as, to keep to old customs; to keep to a rule; to keep to one's word or promise.
{To keep up}, to remain unsubdued; also, not to be confined to one's bed.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Donjon \Don"jon\ (d[u^]n"j[u^]n), noun [See {Dungeon}.] The chief tower, also called the {keep}; a massive tower in ancient castles, forming the strongest part of the fortifications. See Illust. of {Castle}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
keep
noun
1: the financial means whereby one lives; "each child was expected to pay for their keep"; "he applied to the state for support"; "he could no longer earn his own livelihood" [syn: {support}, {livelihood}, {living}, {bread and butter}, {sustenance}]
2: the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress [syn: {donjon}, {dungeon}]
3: a cell in a jail or prison [syn: {hold}]
verb
1: keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep clean"; "hold in place"; "She always held herself as a lady"; "The students keep me on my toes" [syn: {maintain}, {hold}]
2: continue a certain state, condition, or activity; "Keep on working!"; "We continued to work into the night"; "Keep smiling"; "We went on working until well past midnight" [syn: {continue}, {go on}, {proceed}, {go along}] [ant: {discontinue}]
3: retain possession of; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married" [syn: {hold on}] [ant: {lose}]
4: prevent from doing something or being in a certain state; "We must prevent the cancer from spreading"; "His snoring kept me from falling asleep"; "Keep the child from eating the marbles" [syn: {prevent}] [ant: {let}]
5: conform one's action or practice to; "keep appointments"; "she never keeps her promises"; "We kept to the original conditions of the contract" [syn: {observe}]
6: observe correctly or closely; "The pianist kept time with the metronome"; "keep count"; "I cannot keep track of all my employees" [syn: {observe}, {maintain}]
7: look after; be the keeper of; have charge of; "He keeps the shop when I am gone"
8: maintain by writing regular records; "keep a diary"; "maintain a record"; "keep notes" [syn: {maintain}]
9: supply with room and board; "He is keeping three women in the guest cottage"; "keep boarders"
10: allow to remain in a place or position; "We cannot continue several servants any longer"; "She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long as we could" [syn: {retain}, {continue}, {keep on}, {keep going}]
11: supply with necessities and support; "She alone sustained her family"; "The money will sustain our good cause"; "There's little to earn and many to keep" [syn: {sustain}, {maintain}]
12: fail to spoil or rot; "These potatoes keep for a long time" [syn: {stay fresh}]
13: celebrate, as of holidays or rites; "Keep the commandments"; "celebrate Christmas"; "Observe Yom Kippur" [syn: {observe}, {celebrate}]
14: keep under control; keep in check; "suppress a smile"; "Keep your temper"; "keep your cool" [syn: {restrain}, {suppress}, {keep back}, {hold back}]
15: maintain in safety from injury, harm, or danger; "May God keep you" [syn: {preserve}]
16: raise; "She keeps a few chickens in the yard"; "he keeps bees"
17: retain rights to; "keep my job for me while I give birth"; "keep my seat, please"; "keep open the possibility of a merger" [syn: {keep open}, {hold open}, {save}]
18: store or keep customarily; "Where do you keep your gardening tools?"
19: have as a supply; "I always keep batteries in the freezer"; "keep food for a week in the pantry"; "She keeps a sixpack and a week's worth of supplies in the refrigerator"
20: maintain for use and service; "I keep a car in the countryside"; "She keeps an apartment in Paris for her shopping trips" [syn: {maintain}]
21: hold and prevent from leaving; "The student was kept after school"
22: prevent (food) from rotting; "preserved meats"; "keep potatoes fresh" [syn: {preserve}] [also: {kept}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
545 Moby Thesaurus words for "keep": POW camp, TLC, abide, abide by, abstain, accede to, accommodate, accommodation, accommodations, accumulate, acknowledge, acropolis, act up to, adhere to, administer Communion, afford, afford support, agree to, aliment, alimentation, alimony, amass, arm, armor, arrest, attend Communion, attend Mass, attend to, attend to orders, backlog, balance, ballast, bastille, bastion, be faithful to, beachhead, bear, bear in mind, bear out, bear up, beat the drum, bed, bed and board, bide, bit, black hole, bless, block, blockhouse, blow the trumpet, board, board and room, bolster, bolster up, borstal, borstal institution, bosom, bottle up, box up, bread, bread and butter, breed, bridewell, bridgehead, bridle, brig, brood over, bunker, buttress, cage, camouflage, can, care, care for, carry, carry on, castle, celebrate, celebrate Mass, cell, champion, charge, check, cherish, citadel, cling to, clink, clip, cloak, cloister, clothe, collect, commemorate, communicate, compass about, comply, comply with, conceal, concentration camp, condemned cell, conduct, confine, conform, conform to, consecrate, conserve, constrain, contain, continue, continue to be, control, cool, cool off, cooler, coop, coop in, coop up, copyright, cork up, counterbalance, cover, crib, crutch, culture, cumulate, curb, curtail, cushion, custodianship, custody, daily bread, death cell, death house, death row, decelerate, defeat time, defend, defer to, defy time, deny, detain, detention camp, deter, direct, disallow, discourage, do justice to, dompt, donate, donjon, dress ship, dungeon, dwell, dwell on, dwell upon, economic support, embosom, embrace, encage, enclose, endow, endowment, endure, enjoin, enjoy, ensure, entertain, exist, extend, facilities, fan the embers, farm, fasthold, fastness, fatten, federal prison, feed, fence, fence in, fend, fill, fill up, finance, find, fire a salute, firm, firm up, follow, follow the book, fondle, food, forbear, forbid, forced-labor camp, fort, fortress, foster, freeze, fulfill, fund, furnish, gaol, garner, garner up, garrison, garrison house, gather into barns, give, give support, go on, govern, grow, guarantee, guard, guardhouse, guarding, hallow, hang on to, harbor, harken to, hatch, have, have and hold, have in mind, haven, heap up, heed, hem in, hide, hinder, hoard, hoard up, hold, hold at bay, hold back, hold by, hold down, hold fast, hold in, hold in check, hold in custody, hold in leash, hold in mind, hold in restraint, hold jubilee, hold on, hold on to, hold out, hold up, honor, house of correction, house of detention, hug, husband, immobilize, immure, impound, imprison, incarcerate, industrial school, inhibit, insure, internment camp, invest, jail, jailhouse, jubilate, jubilize, jug, keep alive, keep back, keep by one, keep dark, keep faith with, keep from, keep from harm, keep going, keep in, keep in check, keep in custody, keep in detention, keep in memory, keep in mind, keep in reserve, keep in store, keep in view, keep intact, keep inviolate, keep on, keep on hand, keep out, keep safe, keep the faith, keep under control, keep up, keeping, labor camp, last, last long, last out, laud, lay by, lay under restraint, lay up, lend support, lengthen, listen to, live, live on, live through, live up to, livelihood, living, lock in, lockup, lodgings, look after, maffick, maintain, maintenance, make available, make good, make merry, make provision for, make safe, manage, manna, mark, martello, martello tower, mask, maximum-security prison, meat, meet, memorialize, mew, mew up, mind, minimum-security prison, mote, mothering, motte, muzzle, nail down, nestle, not destroy, not endanger, not expend, not use up, not waste, nourish, nourishment, nurse, nurture, nutriment, obey, obey the rules, observe, obstruct, operate, ordain, oubliette, own, pabulum, pap, patent, pay attention to, peel, peel tower, pen, pen up, penal colony, penal institution, penal settlement, penitentiary, perdure, perennate, perpetuate, persist, persist in, pile up, pillbox, pin down, pokey, police, possess, post, pound, praise, prepare, present, preserve, prevail, prevent, preventive custody, price support, prison, prison camp, prisonhouse, prohibit, prolong, prop, prop up, protect, protection, protective custody, protract, provide, provide for, provision, pull, pull in, put apart, put aside, put away, put by, put up, rail in, raise, ranch, rath, rear, receive the Sacrament, recruit, refection, reform school, reformatory, refreshment, regard, register, rein, rein in, reinforce, remain, replenish, repress, reserve, respect, restrain, restrict, retain, retard, retrench, ride shotgun for, run, run on, safeguard, safehold, safekeeping, sanctify, satisfy, save, save up, screen, seal up, secrete, secure, set apart, set aside, set back, set by, shackle, shelter, shield, shore, shore up, shroud, shut in, shut up, signalize, slow down, smother, snub, solemnize, solemnly mark, sound a fanfare, spare, sponging house, squirrel, squirrel away, stabilitate, stabilize, stand, stand up, state prison, stay, stay in line, stay on, steady, stick, stifle, stir, stock, stock up, stockade, stockpile, store, store up, stow away, straiten, strong point, stronghold, submit, subsidization, subsidize, subsidy, subsist, subsistence, subvention, subventionize, supply, support, suppress, survive, sustain, sustainment, sustenance, sustentation, take orders, tarry, tend, tender loving care, the hole, tide over, toe the line, tollbooth, tower, tower of strength, training school, transfix, treasure, treasure up, undergird, underwrite, upbear, uphold, upkeep, victual, wall in, ward, watch over, wear, wear well, withhold, yield
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
KEEP, v.t.
He willed away his whole estate, And then in death he fell asleep, Murmuring: "Well, at any rate, My name unblemished I shall keep." But when upon the tomb 'twas wrought Whose was it? -- for the dead keep naught. Durang Gophel Arn
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