Where does “handcuff” come from?
Handcuff derives from English hand and cuff, with hand tracing back through Middle English hond and Old English hand to Proto-Germanic hundą and ultimately Proto-Indo-European ḱwṓ.
handcuff (English): One ring of a locking fetter for the hand or one...
Definitions
- One ring of a locking fetter for the hand or one...
Ancestry of “handcuff”, step by step
handcuff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Hand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hand | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals |
| 2 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 3 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 5 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 6 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 7 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |