have

have
have (v.) O.E. habban "to own, possess; be subject to, experience," from P.Gmc. *haben- (Cf. O.N. hafa, O.S. hebbjan, O.Fris. habba, Ger. haben, Goth. haban "to have"), from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (see CAPABLE (Cf. capable)). Not related to L. habere, despite similarity in form and sense; the Latin cognate is capere "seize." Old English second person singular present hæfst, third person singular present hæfð became M.E. hast, hath, while Old English -bb- became -v- in have. The pp. had developed from O.E. gehæfd.
Sense of "possess, have at one's disposal" (I have a book) is a shift from older languages, where the thing possessed was made the subject and the possessor took the dative case (e.g. L. est mihi liber "I have a book," lit. "there is to me a book"). Used as an auxiliary in Old English, too (especially to form present perfect tense); the word has taken on more functions over time; Modern English he had better would have been O.E. him (dat.) wære betere. To have to for "must" (1570s) is from sense of "possess as a duty or thing to be done" (O.E.). Phrase have a nice day as a salutation after a commercial transaction attested by 1970, American English. Phrase have (noun), will (verb) is from 1954, originally from comedian Bob Hope, in the form Have tux, will travel; Hope described this as typical of vaudevillians' ads in "Variety," indicating a willingness to perform anywhere, any time.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Have — (h[a^]v), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Had} (h[a^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Having}. Indic. present, I {have}, thou {hast}, he {has}; we, ye, they {have}.] [OE. haven, habben, AS. habben (imperf. h[ae]fde, p. p. geh[ae]fd); akin to OS. hebbian, D. hebben,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • have — (h[a^]v), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Had} (h[a^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Having}. Indic. present, I {have}, thou {hast}, he {has}; we, ye, they {have}.] [OE. haven, habben, AS. habben (imperf. h[ae]fde, p. p. geh[ae]fd); akin to OS. hebbian, D. hebben,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • have — (h[a^]v), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Had} (h[a^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Having}. Indic. present, I {have}, thou {hast}, he {has}; we, ye, they {have}.] [OE. haven, habben, AS. habben (imperf. h[ae]fde, p. p. geh[ae]fd); akin to OS. hebbian, D. hebben,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Have — Have, lat., sei gegrüßt! lebe wohl! Auf Grabmälern: have pia anima! lebe wohl, fromme Seele! …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Have — (ave, lat.), sei gegrüßt! lebe wohl! bes. auf Grabsteinen: H. pia anima (lebe wohl liebe Seele); vgl. Ave Maria …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Have — (lat.), soviel wie Ave …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Have — (ave, lat.), Sei gegrüßt! Lebe wohl! H. pia anĭma, Lebe wohl, fromme Seele! …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • have — /hav/; unstressed /heuhv, euhv/; for 26 usually /haf/, v. and auxiliary v., pres. sing. 1st pers. have, 2nd have or (Archaic) hast, 3rd has or (Archaic) hath, pres. pl …   Universalium

  • have — I. verb (had; having; has) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English habban; akin to Old High German habēn to have, and perhaps to hevan to lift more at heave Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to hold or maintain as a possession,… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • have it — {v. phr.} 1. To hear or get news; understand. * /I have it on the best authority that we will be paid for our work next week./ 2. To do something in a certain way. * /Make up your mind, because you can t have it both ways. You must either stay… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • have it — {v. phr.} 1. To hear or get news; understand. * /I have it on the best authority that we will be paid for our work next week./ 2. To do something in a certain way. * /Make up your mind, because you can t have it both ways. You must either stay… …   Dictionary of American idioms

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