unhand

English

Etymology

un- +‎ hand

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ʌnˈhænd/
• Rhymes: -ænd

Verb

unhand (third-person singular simple present unhands, present participle unhanding, simple past and past participle unhanded)

1. To release from the hand; to let go.
   • 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, part 1, lines 9-12:

     He holds him with his skinny hand,
     "There was a ship," quoth he.
     "Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!"
     Eftsoons his hand dropt he.

   • 1853, Oliver Optic, Hatchie, The Guardian Slave or The Heiress of Bellevue. A Tale of the Mississippi and the South-west‎^[1], B. B. Mussey and Company, and R. B. Fitts and Company, Chapter XXX, page 305:

     “Unhand' the lady!” said Vernon, in a severe tone, as, at the same time, he draw from his pocket a pistol. “Unhand her!” and he approached the lawyer

   • 2008, Anne Gracie, The Stolen Princess‎^[2], Berkley Books, →ISBN, Chapter Two, page 33:

     As he dried the last toe, she said, “Thank you. You may now unhand my feet”

Translations

to release from the hand; to let go — see release,‎ let go