Etymograph

English

gasholder

From gas + holder.

A compound of gas + holder

Ancient Greek χάος ‘chasm’

Dutch gas

English gas

Proto-Germanic *haldaną ‘to hold, to keep’

Proto-West Germanic *haldan ‘to hold’

Old English healdan ‘to hold fast, to grasp’

Middle English holden ‘to hold’

English hold

English holder

Today it means

noun A large cylindrical tank used for storing gas, especially town gas (1870s-1940s) or natural gas (1950s-present). Types include one with telescopic sections with wet seals in between and one with a nontelescoping tank and a dry seal.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / gasholder