'keeping' (the base of 'keepings') originates from Old English 'cēpan' (also spelled 'cépan'), meaning 'to hold, keep, observe.'

'cēpan' developed into Middle English 'kepen' and then modern English 'keep'; the noun 'keeping' was formed from the verb with the suffix '-ing', and the plural form became 'keepings.'

Initially associated with the action 'to hold or seize,' the sense broadened over time to include 'to retain, provide for, maintain,' and as a noun 'keeping(s)' came to mean possessions, maintenance, or things under care.