Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “both-handed” come from?

both-handed (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.

both-handed (English): Skilled or able to use either hand, with...

Definitions

  1. Skilled or able to use either hand, with...

Ancestry of “both-handed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhandedHaving a certain kind or number of hands; Having...
2EnglishHand—
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

Words derived from “both-handed”

  • both-handedness
  • both-handedly
Every word from Proto-Germanic handuz →