hand

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[edit] English

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[edit] Etymology

From Middle English, 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 Frisian/Dutch/German/Swedish hand), from Proto-Germanic *hinþanan (compare Old Swedish hinna 'to gain', Gothic frahinþan 'to take captive, capture'), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱent- 'to grasp' (compare Latvian sīts 'hunting spear', Ancient Greek kentéō 'prick').

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[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

hand (plural hands)

  1. The part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.
  2. That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand; as,
    1. A limb of certain animals, 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 or minute hand of a clock
  3. In long measure, two different lengths:
    1. (obsolete) Three inches, not to be confused with; and,
    2. Four inches, a hand’s breadth, used in measuring the height of horses.
  4. A side; part, camp; direction, either right or left.
    • Exodus 38:15,
      On this hand and that hand, were hangings.
    • 1649, John Milton, Eikonoklastes:
      For that the Protestants were then on the winning hand, it must needs be plain; who, notwithstanding the miss of those forces, which at their landing here mastered without difficulty great part of Wales and Cheshire, yet made a shift to keep their own in Ireland.
  5. Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.
    • 1712,, Joseph Addison, The Spectator, number 499: 
      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.
  6. (archaic) Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.
    • 1717, Edward Hyde Clarendon, History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England: Begun in the Year 1641, volume 2:
      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.
    • Judges 6:36,
      Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand.
  7. 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; as,
    an old hand at speaking.
    • 1690, John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding:
      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 ourselves with such Definitions of the Names of Substances, as explain the Sense Men use them in.
    • 1811, William Hazlitt, “A Day by the Fire”[1], The Reflector: 
      I was always reckoned a lively hand at a simile.
  8. An instance of helping.
    Bob gave Alice a hand to move the furniture.
  9. Handwriting; style of penmanship.
    a good hand
    • 1600, Shakespeare, As You Like It, IV-iii:
      I say she never did invent this letter; This is a man’s invention and his hand
    • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island:
      I found written on the other side, in a very good, clear hand, this short message...
    • 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde:
      "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!"
  10. A person's signature.
    Given under my Hand and Seal of the State this 1st Day of January, 2010.
  11. Personal possession; ownership; hence, control; direction; management; — usually in the plural.
    • 1603, Richard Knolles, The History of the Turks:
      Receiving in hand one year’s tribute.
    • 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...
    • 1670, John Milton, The History of Britain:
      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.
  12. That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.
    1. (gaming, chiefly card games): The set of cards held by a player.
    2. (tobacco manufacturing) A bundle of tobacco leaves tied together.
  13. Applause.
    Give him a hand.
  14. 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)
  15. 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'.
  16. (obsolete) Rate; price.
    • 1625, Francis Bacon, The Essays or Counsels Civil and Moral:
      For time is the measure of business, as money is of wares; and business is bought at a dear hand, where there is small dispatch.
  17. Each of the pointers on the face of an analog clock, which are used to indicate the time of day.
  18. (firearms) The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.
  19. The collective noun for a bunch of bananas.

[edit] Synonyms

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

[edit] 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; as, to give, or take, the hand; to give the right hand
(d) Contract; — commonly of marriage; as, to ask the hand; to pledge the hand.

[edit] Meronyms

[edit] Derived terms

Terms derived from hand (noun)

[edit] Translations

part of the body
pointer of an analogue/analog clock
set of cards held by a player in a card game
side; part; direction, either right or left
power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity
actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.
  • Dutch: hand (nl) f. (only with a possessive, e.g. hand Gods)
servant, laborer, workman, trained for special duty; a performer
handwriting; style of penmanship
personal possession; ownership; hence, control; direction; management; — usually in the plural
agency in transmission from one person to another
that which is, or may be, held in a hand at once
small part of a gunstock near the lock, grasped when aiming
bunch of bananas
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

[edit] See also

Appendix:English collective nouns

[edit] 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.
    he handed them the letter.
  2. (transitive) To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct.
    to hand a lady into a carriage.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To manage.
    • a. 1709, Matthew Prior, “The Lady's Looking-Glass”, in Poems on Several Occasions:
      I bless my chain; I hand my oar. / Nor think on all I left on shore.
  4. (transitive, obsolete) To seize; to lay hands on.
  5. (transitive, rare) To pledge by the hand; to handfast.
  6. (transitive, nautical, said of a sail) To furl.
  7. (intransitive, obsolete) To cooperate.

[edit] Derived terms

terms derived from hand (verb)

[edit] Translations

to give, pass or transmit with the hand
to lead, guide, or assist with the hand
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

[edit] References

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Anagrams

[edit] Dutch

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arm
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arm

[edit] Etymology

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

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

hand f. (plural handen, diminutive handje)

  1. (anatomy) hand of a human or other simian

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] French

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

hand m. (usually uncountable)

  1. (informal) handball
    On va jouer au hand, tu veux venir?
    We're going to play handball, you want to come?

[edit] Synonyms

[edit] Middle English

[edit] Etymology

Old English hand

[edit] Noun

hand (plural hands)

  1. hand

[edit] Descendants

[edit] Old English

[edit] Etymology

Proto-Germanic *handuz

[edit] Noun

hand f.

  1. hand

[edit] Declension

    Declension of hand (strong u-stem)
Singular Plural
nominative hand handa
accusative hand handa
genitive handa handa
dative handa handum

[edit] Descendants

[edit] Swedish

Picture dictionary
Picture dictionary

Click on labels in the image
arm
About this image
arm

[edit] Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *handuz, cognate with Danish hånd, Norwegian hand.

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

hand c.

  1. (anatomy) hand; the body part
    Han tjatade jämt om att hon måste tvätta händerna.
    He was always nagging on her to wash her hands.
  2. (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.

[edit] Declension

Declension of hand
singular plural
Common indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative hand handen händer händerna
genitive hands handens händers händernas
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