kept

Kept is the past tense and past participle of the verb keep. In English, keep can mean to have or retain possession, to preserve in a given state, or to continue to hold a commitment or obligation. Kept can indicate completed action in the past, as in "She kept the receipt," or "The books were kept in the library safe." It can also form passive constructions: "The records were kept for decades." In phrases like "to keep one's word," kept often appears in narrative past contexts.

Kept is also used as an adjective in compounds, especially with hyphen: "well-kept" describes something kept in good condition, and "kept secret" describes information withheld from others. In old or literary usage, "kept" can describe a dependent relationship, such as "a kept woman" or "kept man," referring to a person supported by a lover or patron. This usage is dated and often considered stigmatizing today.

Etymology: keep derives from Germanic roots and has cognates in other Germanic languages, with Old English origins; the exact form has varied across dialects and time periods.

Common forms related to kept include keep (present), keeping (present participle), and keeper (noun for a person who maintains or guards something). Kept is also used in many idiomatic expressions formed around the verb keep, such as keep quiet, keep out, keep up.