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-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)
- The part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
-
- 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.
- (heading) That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand.
- A limb of certain animals, such as the foot of a hawk, or any one of the four extremities of a monkey.
- 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.
- (heading) In linear measurement:
- (chiefly in measuring the height of horses) Four inches, a hand's breadth.
-
- 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.
- Exodus 38:15:
- On this hand and that hand, were hangings.
- From a speech delivered by Bertrand Russell on accepting the 1950 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.
- Exodus 38:15:
- Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.
-
- 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.
- 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.
- An instance of helping.
- Handwriting; style of penmanship.
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- 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.
- A person's autograph or signature.
- Personal possession; ownership.
- (usually in the plural, hands) Management, domain, control.
- 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Luke 1:1
- Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us […]
- 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Luke 1:1
- (heading) That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.
- (card games) The set of cards held by a player.
- A round of a card game.
- (tobacco manufacturing) A bundle of tobacco leaves tied together.
- (collective) The collective noun for a bunch of bananas.
- (card games) The set of cards held by a player.
- 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.
- 2013, Tom Shone, Oscar nominations pull a surprise by showing some taste – but will it last? (in The Guardian, 11 January 2013)[4]
- (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.
- (archaic) Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.
- Judges 6.36:
- Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand.
- (archaic) Agency in transmission from one person to another.
- (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
Meronyms
- (part of the fore limb below the forearm): index finger, middle finger, palm, pinky, ring finger, thumb
Derived terms
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)
- (transitive) To give, pass, or transmit with the hand, literally or figuratively.
- (transitive) To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct.
- (transitive, obsolete) To manage.
- (transitive, obsolete) To seize; to lay hands on.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
- (transitive, rare) To pledge by the hand; to handfast.
- (transitive, nautical, said of a sail) To furl.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Totten to this entry?)
- (intransitive, obsolete) To cooperate.
Derived terms
Translations
References
- hand in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Anagrams
- Dahn, Danh, NADH, dahn
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch hand.
Noun
hand (plural hande, diminutive handjie)
- hand
Danish
Pronoun
hand
- Obsolete spelling of han (“he”)
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch hant, from Old Dutch hant, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɑnt
- IPA(key): /ɦɑnt/
Noun
hand f (plural handen, diminutive handje n)
- hand of a human or other simian
Derived terms
French
Etymology
Clipping of handball. Compare foot from football.
Pronunciation
- (aspirated h) IPA(key): /ɑ̃d/
Noun
hand m (uncountable)
- handball
Synonyms
- handball
Middle English
Etymology
From Old English hand
Noun
hand (plural hands)
- 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, m (definite singular handa or handen, indefinite plural hender, definite plural hendene)
- (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)
- (anatomy) hand
Derived terms
Related terms
- hanske (“glove”)
References
“hand” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old English
Alternative forms
- hond
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *handuz. Compare Old Frisian and Old Saxon hand, Old High German hant, Old Norse hǫnd.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hɑnd/
Noun
hand f
- hand
Declension
Derived terms
- handbōc
- handġewrit
Descendants
- Middle English: hond, hand
- English: hand
- Scots: hand, haund
- Yola: hoane
Old Frisian
Alternative forms
- hond
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *handuz.
Noun
hand f
- hand
Descendants
- North Frisian:
- Föhr-Amrum: hun
- Hallig: höön
- Heligoland: Hun
- Mooring: hönj
- North Goesharde: houn
- Saterland Frisian: Hound, Hounde
- West Frisian: hand, hân
Old Saxon
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *handuz. Compare Old Frisian and Old English hand, Old High German hant, Old Norse hǫnd.
Noun
hand f
- hand
Declension
Descendants
- Middle Low German: hant
- Westphalian:
- Westmünsterländisch: Hand
- Ravensbergisch-Lippisch: Hand
- Plautdietsch: Haunt
- Westphalian:
Old Swedish
Etymology
From Old Norse hǫnd, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.
Noun
hand f
- hand
- direction
- behalf
- 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
- (anatomy) hand
- Han tjatade jämt om att hon måste tvätta händerna.
- He was always nagging on her to wash her hands.
- Han tjatade jämt om att hon måste tvätta händerna.
- (card games) hand; the set of cards held by a player
- Hon fick en bra hand, och satsade högt.
- She was dealt a good set of cards, and placed a high bet.
- Hon fick en bra hand, och satsade högt.
Declension
Related terms
References
- hand in Svenska Akademiens ordlista över svenska språket (13th ed., online)