Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- The antiquated preterit and past participle of help.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- obsolete imp. & p. p. of
help .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb archaic Simple past of
help .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Just as genes and organisms undergo natural selection, words—specifically, irregular verbs such as “holp” that do not take an -ed ending in the past tense—are subject to powerful pressure to “regularize” as the language develops.
SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011
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Is that odd-looking “holp” an archaic word or a spelling mistake?
SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011
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In turns out that “holp” was the past tense of “help” when Shakespeare wrote these words sometime between 1589 and 1594.
SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011
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May 11, 2009 at 9:47 am holp holp holp! cow-werkers are talkin poly-ticks!
The trap… - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2009
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June 11th, 2006 at 6:16 pm punaise, punaise, halp – help – holp!
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You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it: he is a very valiant trencherman; he hath an excellent stomach.
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And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him
Macbeth 2004
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For my brother, I think he holds you well, and in dearness of heart hath holp to effect your ensuing marriage; — surely suit ill spent and labour ill bestowed.
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How Sir Launcelot rode on his adventure, and how he holp a dolorous lady from her pain, and how that he fought with a dragon.
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Then they swore it should be done, and so passed forth Sir Launcelot, and each one of the brethren holp other as well as they might.
bilby commented on the word holp
"COMINIUS: You have holp to ravish your own daughters, and
To melt the city leads upon your pates;
To see your wives dishonour'd to your noses..."
- William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus'.
August 29, 2009