Where does “handbound” come from?

handbound (English) comes 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, from Proto-Germanic handuz — hand.

handbound (English): bound by hand

Definitions

  1. bound by hand

Ancestry of “handbound”, step by step

handbound traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Hand

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

via English bound

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishboundsimple past tense and past participle of bind;...
2Middle EnglishboundAlternative form of band
3Middle EnglishbandThat which obstructs one's free will and free...
4Old Englishbendbond, chain, fetter, band, ribbon, ornament,...
5Proto-Germanicbandizband
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰendʰ-to bind; bond
Every word from Proto-Germanic handuz
handbound — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer