Etymology

Always derived from the ON adv. represented by OIcel heldr ‘more, rather; very; but, on the contrary; soonest, especially’.  Directly cognate comp. adverbs are attested as Go haldis, OS hald and OHG halt, and point back regularly to a PGmc *xalð-iz-.  The ulterior etymology is somewhat obscure, but most modern commentators (see esp. Heid., GED, Orel) suggest a connection to the PGmc adj. *xalþ-a-, as represented by OE heald ‘bent, inclined’, OIcel hallr ‘leaning to one side, swerving, sloping; biased’, OFris north-hald ‘directed northwards’, OHG hald ‘bent down’ (and Go wilja-halþei ‘inclination, bias’). An Angl. OE *held (eWS *hield etc.) would be expected to show regular loss of adv. comp. -r (cp. OE bet, wyrs etc.), and the presence of -er in ME helder is therefore a strong indication of ON input. It is also conceivable, but improbable, that a comp. form of OE heald ‘inclined’, used adverbially and with suitably extended meaning could also explain the ME form.

PGmc Ancestor

*xalð-iz-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

heldr ‘more, rather; very; but, on the contrary; soonest, especially’
(ONP heldr (adv. compar.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far heldur, Icel heldri, heldur, Norw helder, Dan heller(e), Sw heller, hellre

OE Cognate

cp. heald (adj.) ‘bent, inclined’

Phonological and morphological markers

[ON adverbial comparative -r < PGmc *-iz] (possibly diagnostic)

Summary category

C1c

(C3)

Attestation

ME attestations in MED and OED show a distinctly N bias (incl. Gaw ms, WA, DT) with one Midlands attestation (a1450 7 Sages(3) (Cmb Dd.1.17)); EDD records in N dial of MnE.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 376, 430; WA 1016, 1140, 1633* etc.

Note line 1633* of WA is omited in MS A.

Bibliography

MED helde (adv.) , OED helder (adv.) , HTOED , HTOED , EDD helder (adv. and adj.), Dance helder, Bj. 167, de Vries heldr, Mag. heldri, Bj-L. heller (1), Heid. haldizan-, Orel *xalðaz