hand

hand

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of hand in English

English Online Dictionary. What means hand‎? What does hand mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English hond, hand, from Old English hand (“hand, side (in defining position), power, control, possession, charge, agency, person regarded as holder or receiver of something”), from Proto-West Germanic *handu (“hand”), from Proto-Germanic *handuz (“hand”) (compare Dutch, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish hand, German Hand, West Frisian hân), of uncertain origin. Perhaps compare Old Swedish hinna (“to gain”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰-𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌸𐌰𐌽 (fra-hinþan, “to take captive, capture”); and Latvian sīts (“hunting spear”), Ancient Greek κεντέω (kentéō, “prick”), Albanian çandër (“pitchfork, prop”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: hănd, IPA(key): /hænd/
  • Rhymes: -ænd

Noun

hand (plural hands)

  1. The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
    Meronyms: index finger, middle finger, palm, pinky, ring finger, thumb
    • Using her hands like windshield wipers, she tried to flick snow away from her mouth. When she clawed at her chest and neck, the crumbs maddeningly slid back onto her face. She grew claustrophobic.
  2. That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand.
    1. A limb of certain animals, such as the foot of a hawk, or any one of the four extremities of a monkey.
    2. An index or pointer on a dial; such as the hour and minute hands on the face of an analog clock, which are used to indicate the time of day.
  3. That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.
    1. (card games) The set of cards held by a player.
      1. A round of a card game.
    2. (tobacco manufacturing) A bundle of tobacco leaves tied together.
    4. (collective) A bunch of bananas.
  4. That which has the appearance of, a human hand.
    1. A bunch of bananas, a typical retail amount, where individual fruits are fingers.
  5. In linear measurement:
    1. (chiefly in measuring the height of horses) Four inches, a hand's breadth.
    2. (obsolete) Three inches.
  6. A side; part, camp; direction, either right or left.
    • 1950, Bertrand Russell, acceptance speech for Nobel Prize in Literature
      I maintain, however, on the one hand, that there are few occasions upon which large bodies of men, such as politics is concerned with, can rise above selfishness, while, on the other hand, there are a very great many circumstances in which populations will fall below selfishness, if selfishness is interpreted as enlightened self-interest.
  7. Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.
  8. An agent; a servant, or manual laborer, especially in compounds; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty; a performer more or less skillful.
  9. An instance of helping.
  10. Handwriting; style of penmanship.
  11. A person's autograph or signature.
  12. Personal possession; ownership.
    • 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes
      Receiving in hand one year’s tribute.
  13. (usually in the plural, hands) Management, domain, control.
  14. Applause.
    • 2013, Tom Shone, Oscar nominations pull a surprise by showing some taste – but will it last? (in The Guardian, 11 January 2013)[4]
      Also a big hand for Silver Linings Playbook, an exuberant modern screwball comedy we had, in an unseemly fit of cynicism, deemed "too entertaining" for Academy voters.
  15. (historical) A Native American gambling game, involving guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or similar, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand.
  16. (firearms) The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.
  17. A whole rhizome of ginger.
  18. The feel of a fabric; the impression or quality of the fabric as judged qualitatively by the sense of touch.
  19. (archaic) Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.
  20. (archaic) Agency in transmission from one person to another.
  21. (obsolete) Rate; price.

Synonyms

  • (part of the arm below the wrist): manus (obsolete), paw (of some animals)

Usage notes

Hand is used figuratively for a large variety of acts or things, in the doing, or making, or use of which the hand is in some way employed or concerned; also, as a symbol to denote various qualities or conditions, as,

(a) Activity; operation; work; — in distinction from the head, which implies thought, and the heart, which implies affection.
His hand will be against every man. — Genesis 16:12
(b) Power; might; supremacy; — often in the Scriptures.
With a mighty hand . . . will I rule over you. — Ezekiel 20:33.
(c) Fraternal feeling; for example to give, or take, the hand; to give the right hand
(d) Contract; — commonly of marriage; for example to ask the hand; to pledge the hand

Derived terms

Coordinate terms

Related terms

  • handle

Translations

See hand/translations § Noun.

See also

Appendix:English collective nouns

Verb

hand (third-person singular simple present hands, present participle handing, simple past and past participle handed)

  1. (transitive) To give, pass or transmit with the hand, literally or figuratively.
  2. (transitive) To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To manage.
  4. (transitive, obsolete) To seize; to lay hands on.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  5. (transitive, rare) To pledge by the hand; to handfast.
  6. (transitive, nautical, said of a sail) To furl.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Totten to this entry?)
  7. (intransitive, obsolete) To cooperate.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  • hand in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

  • Dahn, Danh, NADH, dahn, hDNA

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch hand, from Middle Dutch hant, from Old Dutch hant, from Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɦant/

Noun

hand (plural hande, diminutive handjie)

  1. A hand.

Derived terms

  • handskoen

Danish

Pronoun

hand

  1. Obsolete spelling of han (“he”)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch hant, from Old Dutch hant, from Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɦɑnt/
  • Hyphenation: hand
  • Rhymes: -ɑnt

Noun

hand f (plural handen, diminutive handje n)

  1. A hand of a human, other simian or other animal with fingers.

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Afrikaans: hand

French

Etymology

Clipping of handball. Compare foot from football.

Pronunciation

  • (aspirated h) IPA(key): /ɑ̃d/

Noun

hand m (uncountable)

  1. The sport handball.

Synonyms

  • handball

Middle English

Etymology

From Old English hand

Noun

hand (plural hands)

  1. Alternative form of hond (“hand”)

Descendants

  • English: hand

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

  • hånd

Etymology

From Old Norse hǫnd, from Proto-Germanic *handuz

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /han/, [hɑn]
  • Homophones: han, hann
  • Rhymes: -ɑn

Noun

hand f or m (definite singular handa or handen, indefinite plural hender, definite plural hendene)

  1. (anatomy) A hand.

Derived terms

Related terms

  • hanske (“glove”)

References

“hand” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse hǫnd, from Proto-Germanic *handuz. Akin to English hand.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɑnd/, /hɑnː/
  • Homophones: han, hann (in some dialects)
  • Rhymes: -ɑn

Noun

hand f (definite singular handa, indefinite plural hender, definite plural hendene)

  1. (anatomy) A hand.

Derived terms

Related terms

  • hanske (“glove”)

References

“hand” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Alternative forms

  • hond

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz. Compare Old Frisian and Old Saxon hand, Old High German hant, Old Norse hǫnd.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /xɑnd/, [hɑnd]

Noun

hand f (nominative plural handa)

  1. A hand.

Declension

Derived terms

  • handbōc
  • handġewrit

Descendants

  • Middle English: hond, hand
    • English: hand
    • Scots: hand, haund
    • Yola: hoane

Old Frisian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈhand/

Noun

hand f

  1. Alternative form of hond

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz. Compare Old Frisian and Old English hand, Old High German hant, Old Norse hǫnd.

Noun

hand f

  1. A hand.

Declension


Descendants

  • Middle Low German: hant
    • German Low German: Hand
    • Westphalian:
      Westmünsterländisch: Hand
      Ravensbergisch-Lippisch: Hand
    • Plautdietsch: Haunt

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse hǫnd, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.

Noun

hand f

  1. A hand
  2. A direction
  3. A behalf
  4. A sort, kind.

Declension

Descendants

  • Swedish: hand

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish hand, from Old Norse hǫnd, from Proto-Germanic *handuz. Cognate with Danish hånd, Norwegian hand, English hand and German Hand.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hand/

Noun

hand c

  1. (anatomy) A hand.
  2. (card games) A hand; the set of cards held by a player.

Declension

Related terms

References

  • hand in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

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Related Words

merchandise

handy

hands

handmade

handling

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.