Where does “handy” come from?
Handy comes from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, and Proto-Indo-European -kos, a suffix forming adjectives from nouns.
handy (English): Easy to use, useful; Nearby, within reach; Of a...
Definitions
- Easy to use, useful; Nearby, within reach; Of a...
Ancestry of “handy”, step by step
handy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English handy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | handy | — |
| 2 | Middle English | hendi | handy, skillful |
| 3 | Old English | hendiġ | skillful |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | handugaz | handy; skillful with the hands; dextrous |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via Middle English hondi
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hondi | — |