Where does “many-handedly” come from?
many-handedly (English) comes from English many-handed, from English handed, from English Hand, from Middle English hond, from Old English hand, from Proto-West Germanic handu, from Swedish hand, from Old Swedish hand — hand.
many-handedly (English): Involving many hands
Ancestry of “many-handedly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | many-handed | Involving, requiring, or possessing many hands |
| 2 | English | handed | Having a certain kind or number of hands; Having... |
| 3 | English | Hand | — |
| 4 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 5 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 7 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 8 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 9 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |