handy
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also Handy
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English, alteration of earlier hendi (“handy, skillful”), from Old English hendiġ (“skillful”) (as in listhendiġ (“skilled in art”)), from Proto-Germanic *handugaz (“handy, skillful, nimble”), from *handuz (“hand”), equivalent to hand + -y. Cognate with Middle Low German handich (“skillful, apt”), Middle High German handec, hendec (“manual, hand-held”), Old Norse hǫndugr (“efficient”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌿𐌲𐍃 (handugs, “wise, clever”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Adjective
handy (comparative handier, superlative handiest)
- Easy to use, useful.
- Some people regard duct tape as a handy fix-all.
- Nearby, within reach.
- You wouldn’t have a screwdriver handy, would you?
- (dialect) dexterous, skilful
- She's very handy - she made all her own kitchen cupboards.
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Translations
easy to use
within reach
|
dexterous
[edit] References
- handy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- handy in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- handy at OneLook Dictionary Search
[edit] Scots
[edit] Adjective
handy (comparative handier, superlative handiest)
