handhaven

Meaning

1. (transitive) to enforce, to maintain, to uphold
2. (transitive) to persevere with, to persist with/in
3. (reflexive) to remain in charge, to remain in place

Hyphenated as

hand‧ha‧ven

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɦɑntˌɦaː.və(n)/

Etymology

From Middle Dutch hanthaven, from Middle High German hanthaben, itself a calque from Old French maintenir, from Vulgar Latin manūteneō. Likely based also on Middle Dutch handhave (“handle”). Cognate with German handhaben.

Sentences

Ik geloof daarom dat het handhaven van melkquota van cruciaal belang is .

I therefore believe that maintaining milk quotas is crucial.