hold dear

Here are some of the myths I held dear in the years when I thought I knew how to study languages.



In the sentence, what does 'held dear' mean?


Thanks~!

Greatly valued
Agreed with/believed in.
etc.

Ben.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dcitionary says

hold sb/sth dear
(formal) to care very much for sb/sth; to value sb/sth highly:
He had destroyed everything we held dear.


Sarosh Khan
Pakistan