Where does “handful” come from?
Handful derives from Middle English handful, from Old English handful, from Proto-Germanic handufullō, a compound of hand and Proto-Germanic fullaz meaning full, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- meaning to fill.
handful (English): The amount that a hand will grasp or contain; A...
Definitions
- The amount that a hand will grasp or contain; A...
Ancestry of “handful”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | handful | — |
| 2 | Old English | handfull | — |
| 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 |