English vocabulary · C1
Holdover
/ˈhoʊldˌoʊvɚ/ · n., adj.
Holdover is something from an earlier time that is still here. The world changes, but it stays.
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Example sentences
- That rule is a wartime holdover.
- This shop is a holdover from childhood.
Word origin and roots
from Old English
- hold — keep (from Old English)
- over — after (from Old English)
Synonyms and nuances
- REMNANT — part that still remains (Small Part Left)
- RELIC — old object kept today (Object From The Past)
- LEFTOVER — something still left (Not Used Before)
Words with the same root
hold — keep
- withhold — keep something back
- uphold — keep in force
Lesson notes
Holdover is something from an earlier time that is still here. The world changes, but it stays.
Related: remnant, relic, leftover. Use holdover when an old part remains today.
That rule is a wartime holdover. This shop is a holdover from childhood.
From Old English. Hold- means keep. Over- means after. Something kept after its own time is a holdover.