Where does “on hand” come from?

on hand (English) comes from Middle English onhande, from Old English onhende, from Proto-Germanic anahandijaz, from Proto-Germanic ana-, from Proto-Germanic an-, from Proto-Indo-European ano-.

Ancestry of “on hand”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishonhande—
2Old Englishonhendeon hand, demanding attention
3Proto-Germanicanahandijazon hand, within reach
4Proto-Germanicana-on-; on
5Proto-Germanican-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanano-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ano- →Every word from Proto-Germanic an- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ana- →