hand
- hand
\ \ [OE] Hand is a widespread Germanic word (German, Dutch, and Swedish also have it), but it has no relatives outside Germanic, and no one is too sure where it comes from. Perhaps the likeliest explanation is that it is related to Gothic frahinthan ‘seize, pursue’, Swedish hinna ‘reach’, and English hunt, and that is underlying meaning is ‘body part used for seizing’.
\ \ The derived adjective handsome [15] originally meant simply ‘easy to handle’. The modern sense ‘attractive’ did not develop until the late 16th century.
\ \ Cf.⇒ HANDSOME, HUNT
Word origins - 2ed.
J. Ayto.
2005.
Synonyms:
Look at other dictionaries:
hand — hand … Dictionnaire des rimes
Hand... — Hand … Deutsch Wörterbuch
Hand- — Hand … Deutsch Wörterbuch
Hand — (h[a^]nd), n. [AS. hand, hond; akin to D., G., & Sw. hand, OHG. hant, Dan. haand, Icel. h[ o]nd, Goth. handus, and perh. to Goth. hin[thorn]an to seize (in comp.). Cf. {Hunt}.] 1. That part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in man and… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
hand — [hand] n. [ME < OE, akin to Goth handus < base of hinthan, to seize (hence, basic sense “grasper”) < ? IE base * kent , ? to seize] I 1. the part of the human body attached to the end of the forearm, including the wrist, palm, fingers,… … English World dictionary
hand — ► NOUN 1) the end part of the arm beyond the wrist. 2) (before another noun ) operated by or held in the hand. 3) (before another noun or in combination ) done or made manually. 4) a pointer on a clock or watch indicating the passing of units of… … English terms dictionary
Hand — Hand: Die gemeingerm. Körperteilbezeichnung mhd., ahd. hant, got. handus, engl. hand, schwed. hand gehört wahrscheinlich als ablautende Substantivbildung zu der Sippe von got. hinÞan »fangen, greifen« und bedeutet demnach eigentlich »Greiferin,… … Das Herkunftswörterbuch
Hand — (h[a^]nd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Handed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Handing}.] 1. To give, pass, or transmit with the hand; as, he handed them the letter. [1913 Webster] 2. To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct; as, to hand a lady into a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Hand — Sf std. (8. Jh.), mhd. hant, ahd. hant, as. hand Stammwort. Aus g. * handu f. Hand , auch in gt. handus, anord. ho̧nd, ae. hond, afr. hand, hond. Herkunft umstritten. Denkbar ist ein Anschluß an g. * henþ a Vst. fangen, ergreifen in gt.… … Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache
Hand — /hand/, n. Learned /lerr nid/, 1872 1961, U.S. jurist. * * * End part of the arm, consisting of the wrist joint, palm, thumb, and fingers. The hand has great mobility and flexibility to carry out precise movements. Bipedal locomotion in humans… … Universalium
Hand — (Schönheitspflege). Es ist längst anerkannt, daß zarte Hände und Arme zu den vorzüglichsten Erfordernissen weiblicher Schönheit gehören, und glücklicher Weise sind die Mittel, sie zu erlangen, die unschuldigsten unter allen Toilettenkünsten. Wem… … Damen Conversations Lexikon