hand
see also: Hand
Pronunciation Etymology 1
Hand
Etymology
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.004
see also: Hand
Pronunciation Etymology 1
From Middle English hond, hand, from Old English hand, from Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.
See also Dutch - and Swedish hand, Danish hånd, German Hand, Western Frisian hân). Perhaps compare Old Swedish hinna ("to gain"), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌰𐌽; and Latvian sīts, Ancient Greek κεντέω, Albanian çandër.
Nounhand (plural hands)
- The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
- Her hands are really strong.
- Meronyms: index finger, middle finger, palm, pinky, ring finger, thumb
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC ↗:
- I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.
- That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand.
- That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.
In linear measurement: - (chiefly, in measuring the height of horses) Four inches, a hand's breadth.
- 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter I, in Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC ↗, page 6 ↗:
- Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together.
- (obsolete) Three inches.
- (chiefly, in measuring the height of horses) Four inches, a hand's breadth.
- A side; part, camp; direction, either right or left.
- 1649, J[ohn] Milton, “Upon the Rebellion in Ireland”, in ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC ↗, page 125 ↗:
- For that the Proteſtants were then on the winning hand, it muſt needs be plain; who notwithſtanding the miſs of thoſe Forces which, at thir landing heer, maiſter’d without difficulty great part of Wales and Cheſhire, yet made a ſhift to keep thir ownw in Ireland.
- Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.
- 1712 October 13 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “THURSDAY, October 2, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 499; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume V, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC ↗, page 451 ↗:
- My friend Will Honeycomb has told me, for above this half year, that he had a great mind to try his hand at a Spectator, and that he would fain have one of his writing in my works.
- The spelling has been modernized.
- 1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, “The Shadow of the Bat”, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, →OCLC ↗, [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hwptej;view=1up;seq=10 page 6]:
- The Bat—they called him the Bat. […]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the Fence couldn't swear he knew his face.
- (especially in compounds) An agent; a servant, or manual laborer; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty.
- Large farms need many farm hands.
- 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC ↗, book III, page 259 ↗:
- But a Dictionary of this ſort, containing, as it were, a Natural Hiſtory, requires too many hands, as well as too much time, coſt, pains, and ſagacity, ever to be hoped for; and till that be done, we muſt content our ſelves with ſuch Definitions of the Names of Subſtances, as explain the ſenſe Men uſe them in.
- 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Affair at the Novelty Theatre ↗”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC ↗; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831 ↗, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
- For this scene, a large number of supers are engaged, and in order to further swell the crowd, practically all the available stage hands have to ‘walk on’ dressed in various coloured dominoes, and all wearing masks.
- A performer more or less skilful.
- an old hand at public speaking
- 1903, George Horace Lorimer, Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to his Son, page 46:
- At the church sociables he used to hop around among them, chipping and chirping like a dicky-bird picking up seed; and he was a great hand to play the piano, and sing saddish, sweetish songs to them.
- An instance of helping.
- Bob gave Alice a hand to move the furniture.
- 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 46, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC ↗:
- What need have you of a hand who never fall?
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC ↗, page 58 ↗:
- The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on a certain afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.
- Handwriting; style of penmanship.
- a good hand
- c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene iii], page 202 ↗, column 2:
- I ſay ſhe neuer did inuent this letter, / This is a mans inuention, and his hand.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, “Containing Instructions Very Necessary to Be Perused by Modern Critics”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume IV, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC ↗, book X, page 4 ↗:
- […] I have ſometimes known a Poet in Danger of being convicted as a Thief, upon much worſe Evidence than the Reſemblance of Hands hath been held to be in the Law.
- 1886 January 4, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Last Night”, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC ↗, pages 74–75 ↗:
- 'This is a strange note,' said Mr. Utterson; and then sharply, 'How do you come to have it open?' 'The man at Maw's was main angry, sir, and he threw it back to me like so much dirt,' returned Poole. 'This is unquestionably the doctor's hand, do you know?' resumed the lawyer. 'I thought it looked like it,' said the servant rather sulkily; and then, with another voice, 'But what matters hand of write,' he said. 'I've seen him!'
- A person's autograph or signature.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC ↗; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii ↗:
- Who […] Haue paſt the armie of the mightie Turke:
Bearing his priuie ſignet and his hand,
To ſafe conduct vs thorow Affrica: […]
- Given under my Hand and Seal of the State this 1st Day of January, 2010.
- Promise, word; especially of a betrothal.
- Montague Summers (editor), The Works of Aphra Behn, volume V, page 132 ↗:
- They once made Mourning and Fasting for the Death of the English Governor, who had given his Hand to come on such a Day to 'em, and neither came nor sent; believing, when a Man's Word was past, nothing but Death could or should prevent his keeping it: And when they saw he was not dead, they ask'd him what Name they had for a Man who promis'd a Thing he did not do?
- 1868, William Carleton, Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry, volume 2, page 179:
- Few would rely upon the word or oath of any man who had been known to break a hand-promise.
- Montague Summers (editor), The Works of Aphra Behn, volume V, page 132 ↗:
- Personal possession; ownership.
- 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC ↗:
- Receiving in hand one year’s tribute.
- (chiefly, in the plural) Management, domain, control.
- in safe hands; in good hands; He lost his job when the factory changed hands. With the business back in the founder's hands, there is new hope for the company. With John in charge of the project, it's in good hands.
- a. 1627 (date written), Francis Bacon, “[Baconiana Politico-Moralia. […].] It is my purpoſe to give a true and plain Account, of the Deſigns and Labours of a very great Philoſopher amongſt us; and to offer to the World, in ſome tollerable Method, thoſe Remains of his, which to that end, were put into my Hands.”, in [Thomas Tenison], editor, Baconiana. Or Certain Genuine Remains of Sr. Francis Bacon, […], London: […] J. D. for Richard Chiswell, […], published 1679, →OCLC ↗, page 21 ↗:
- 1670, John Milton, “The Second Book”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call'd England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC ↗, page 81 ↗:
- But Albinus in thoſe troubleſome times enſuing under the ſhort reign of Pertinax and Didius Julianus, found means to keep in his hands the Government of Britain;
- (colloquial, negative polarity plural) A hand which is free to assist; especially due to having one's hands full or otherwise fully preoccupied.
- Just give me a minute - I haven't got any hands right now.
- Applause.
- Give him a hand.
- 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 3, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC ↗:
- “Give him a hand, Pendennis; you know every chap likes a hand,” Mr. Foker said; and the good-natured young gentleman, and Pendennis laughing, and the dragoons in the opposite box, began clapping hands to the best of their power.
- (historical) A Native American gambling game, involving guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or similar, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand.
- (firearms) The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.
- A whole rhizome of ginger.
- The feel of a fabric; the impression or quality of the fabric as judged qualitatively by the sense of touch.
- This fabric has a smooth, soft hand.
- (archaic) Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.
- 1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, “Book VIII”, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], volume II, part II, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the Theater, published 1707, →OCLC ↗, page 605 ↗:
- They who thought they could never be ſecure in any Peace, except the King were firſt at their Mercy, and ſo obliged to accept the conditions they would give him, were willing to change the hand in carrying on the War: and many, who thought the Earl of Eſſex behaved himſelf too imperiouſly, were willing to have the Command in one who was more their equal.
- (archaic) Agency in transmission from one person to another.
- to buy at first hand (from the producer, or when new); to buy at second hand (when no longer in the producer’s hand, or when not new); It's not a rumor. I heard it at first hand.
- (obsolete) Rate; price.
- 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Dispatch. XXV.”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC ↗, page 143 ↗:
- For Time is the meaſure of Buſineſſe, as Money is of Wares: And Buſineſſe is bought at a deare Hand, where there is ſmall diſpatch.
- (part of the arm below the wrist) manus (formal), mound (obsolete), mund (obsolete), paw (of some animals)
From Middle English handen, honden, from the noun (see above); and also from henden (> English hend), from Old English *hendan, ġehendan, from Proto-West Germanic *handijan, from Proto-Germanic *handijaną, from the noun (see above).
Verbhand (hands, present participle handing; simple past and past participle handed)
- (transitive) To give, pass or transmit with the hand, literally or figuratively.
- He handed them the letter. She handed responsibility over to her deputy.
- (transitive) To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct.
- to hand a lady into a carriage
- (transitive, obsolete) To manage.
- (transitive, obsolete) To seize; to lay hands on.
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene i]:
- wee will not hand a rope more
- (transitive, rare) To pledge by the hand; to handfast.
- (transitive, nautical) To furl (a sail).
- 1814, John Hamilton Moore, “Examination of a Young Sea Officer”, in The new practical navigator, nineteenth edition:
- send the people up to hand the sail, and when up, before they goon the yard, I'll clap the rolling tackle on to steady it
- (intransitive, obsolete) To cooperate.
- French: donner, passer
- German: reichen
- Italian: dare, passare, consegnare
- Portuguese: dar, entregar, passar
- Russian: передава́ть
- Spanish: dar, pasar, entregar
Hand
Etymology
- As a Dutch -, German -, and English surname, from the noun hand, or used to translate surname for hand in other languages.
- Also as an English surname, possibly from a pet form of Randall or names like Johan and Henry.
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.004