Where does “fourhanded” come from?

fourhanded (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.

fourhanded (English): Having four hands; quadrumanous; Requiring four...

Definitions

  1. Having four hands; quadrumanous; Requiring four...

Ancestry of “fourhanded”, step by step

fourhanded 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 four

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfourA numerical value equal to 4; the number after...
2Middle Englishfourfour
3Old Englishfēowerfour
4Proto-West Germanicfeuwarfour
5Proto-Germanicfedwōrfour
6Proto-Indo-Europeankʷetwóresfour
7Proto-Indo-Europeankʷe-and

Words derived from “fourhanded

Every word from Proto-Germanic handuz