持てる

Etymology
From the regular potential conjugation of verb. The sense arose as a slight shift in meaning from "able to have" to something like "able to get (particularly, positive attention)".

First attested in the sense in a text from 1753.

Verb

 * 1)   to be popular, to be well-liked by people (e.g. be popular among women)
 * 2)  to be able to have or hold: potential form of
 * 3)  to withstand, to endure
 * 1)  to withstand, to endure

Usage notes
The sense may be encountered more commonly with the spelling  instead.