Where does “handyman” come from?
Handyman is a compound of English handy and English man, with the adjective handy formed from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, and Latin -ia, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
handyman (English): A man who does small tasks and odd jobs
Definitions
- A man who does small tasks and odd jobs
Ancestry of “handyman”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Handy | Easy to use, useful |
| 2 | English | handgun | A small gun with a relatively short barrel,... |
| 3 | English | gun | A device for projecting a hard object very... |
| 4 | Middle English | gunne | A trebuchet or similar kind of pellet-firing... |
| 5 | Old Norse | Gunnhildr | — |
| 6 | Old Norse | Gunnr | battle, war |
| 7 | Old Norse | guðr | battle, war |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | gunþiz | battle |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰéntis | striking, killing |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |