D defs.my
Entry 4 senses Webster, 1913

Holding

· Hold·ing · IPA /[ˈhəʉɫdɪŋ]/
01 n. The act or state of sustaining, grasping, or retaining.
  1. 1.
    The act or state of sustaining, grasping, or retaining.
  2. 2.
    A tenure; a farm or other estate held of another.
  3. 3.
    That which holds, binds, or influences.
  4. 4.
    The burden or chorus of a song.[Obs.]
Phrases & compounds
Holding note — a note sustained in one part, while the other parts move.