Where does “handfeed” come from?
handfeed (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.
handfeed (English): To feed by hand
Definitions
- To feed by hand
Ancestry of “handfeed”, step by step
handfeed 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 |
via English feed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | feed | To give food to eat; To eat; To give to as... |
| 2 | Galician | feden | third-person plural present indicative of feder |
| 3 | Old English | fēdan | to feed |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *fōdijan | to feed |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fōdijaną | to feed; to give birth |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂- | to protect; to shepherd |