hold·er n
1: a person that holds: as
a: owner
the holder of a patent
— often used in combination
a stock holder
b: one that holds or occupies the property of another by agreement and esp. under a lease
2 a: a person who under the Uniform Commercial Code is in possession of a negotiable instrument that names and is made payable to the possessor or that is payable to bearer
b: a person under the U.C.C. in possession of goods named in a document of title if the goods are deliverable to bearer or to the order of the possessor
3 in the civil law of Louisiana: an individual (as a trustee or debtor) or legal or commercial entity that under the Civil Code's provisions for disposition of unclaimed property is in possession of property belonging to another
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.