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)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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) A bunch of bananas.
- (card games) The set of cards held by a player.
- That which has the appearance of, a human hand.
- A bunch of bananas, a typical retail amount, where individual fruits are fingers.
- In linear measurement:
- (chiefly in measuring the height of horses) Four inches, a hand's breadth.
- (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.
- 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.
- Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.
- 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.
- A person's autograph or signature.
- Personal possession; ownership.
- 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes
- Receiving in hand one year’s tribute.
- 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes
- (usually in the plural, hands) Management, domain, control.
- 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.
- (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
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)
- (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, 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)
- A hand.
Derived terms
- handskoen
Danish
Pronoun
hand
- 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)
- 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)
- The sport 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 or 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) 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)
- 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
- 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
- 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
- A hand
- A direction
- A behalf
- 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
- (anatomy) A hand.
- (card games) A hand; the set of cards held by a player.
Declension
Related terms
References
- hand in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)