handiness

English

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *handuz

Proto-West Germanic *handu

Old English hand

Middle English hond

English hand

Old English -iġ

Middle English -y

English -y

English handy

Proto-Germanic *-in-

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti

Proto-Germanic *-ōną

Proto-Germanic *-inōną

Proto-Indo-European *-dyé-

Proto-Germanic *-atjaną

Proto-Indo-European *-tus

Proto-Germanic *-þuz

Proto-Germanic *-assuz

Proto-Germanic *-inassuz

Proto-West Germanic *-nassī

Old English -nes

Middle English -nesse

English -ness

English handiness

From handy + -ness.

handiness (usually uncountable, plural handinesses)

The quality or state of being handy.
- 1988 December 11, Georgia Cotrell, “A Lezbeen Sam Spade”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 22, page 8:
  All of She Came Too Late is delightfully well-written: one of the most commendable things about it is Wings' handiness with metaphor — she writes of a character who's "a good co-worker, but with as much sense of humor as a cardboard box." Or, "The night came back to me, like a bolt shooting into a lock."

the quality or state of being handy