Where does “barehanded” come from?

barehanded (English) comes from English handed, from English Hand, from Middle English hond, from Old English hand, from Proto-West Germanic handu, from Swedish hand, from Old Swedish hand, from Old Norse hǫnd — hand.

barehanded (English): Having no covering on the hands; With no tool or...

Definitions

  1. Having no covering on the hands; With no tool or...

Ancestry of “barehanded”, step by step

barehanded traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English handed

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhandedHaving a certain kind or number of hands; Having...
2EnglishHandThe part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals
3Middle Englishhondhand; Alternative form of hound
4Old EnglishhandA hand
5Proto-West Germanichanduhand
6SwedishhandA hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player
7Old SwedishhandA hand; A direction; A behalf
8Old Norsehǫndhand
9Proto-Germanichanduzhand

via English bare

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbareMinimal; that is or are just sufficient; Naked,...
2Middle EnglishbareAlternative form of bor
3Old Englishbærbare, naked, unconcealed
4Proto-West Germanicbaʀbare, naked
5Proto-Germanicbazazbare, naked
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰosósbare, barefoot
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰos-to sally forth, barge, hurtle out; bare, barefoot

Words derived from “barehanded

Every word from Proto-Germanic handuzEvery word from Old Norse hǫndEvery word from Old Swedish hand