Unhold

See also: unhold

German

Etymology

From Middle High German unholde, from Old High German unholdo, from Proto-West Germanic *unholþō, from Proto-Germanic *unhulþô.

The regional sense “rascal” is chiefly from Low German (Middle Low German unholt). It is possible that the word was influenced here by unrelated holden (“to hold”), thus with the notion of “somone unheld, ungovernable”. Compare the synonym Unband.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈʊnˌhɔlt/

Noun

Unhold m (strong, genitive Unholdes or Unholds, plural Unholde)

(archaic, popular mythology) a fiend, monster, evil sprite
(regional, now especially Switzerland) a thug, felon, especially a sex offender
(regional, parts of northern and western Germany, mild or humorous) a rascal, especially a child or animal that causes one trouble
- 1883, Theodor Fontane, Graf Petöfy, 2nd edition, published 1890, page 43:
  „Sieh nur, Franziska, sie hat meinen besten Fächer genommen, ein Geschenk von Graf Pejevics von der letzten Redoute her. Ein wahres Prachtstück, ich meine den Fächer. Und nun hantiert der kleine Unhold damit, als ob es ein Trommelstock wäre... Lysinka!“
  “Look, Franziska, she’s taken my best fan, a present from Count Pejevics, from the last ball. A real beauty, I mean the fan. And now the little rascal is handling it as if it were a drumstick... Lysinka!”
Na, du alter Unhold, wie geht’s? ― So, you old rascal, what’s up?
Und wie macht sich dein neuer Jagdhund? – Das is’n ganz schöner Unhold, du!
How’s your new hound doing? – He’s a right rascal, I tell you!

Declension

Declension of Unhold [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Unhold	die	Unholde
genitive	eines	des	Unholdes, Unholds	der	Unholde
dative	einem	dem	Unhold, Unholde¹	den	Unholden
accusative	einen	den	Unhold	die	Unholde

¹Now uncommon, see notes.