Where does “ready-handed” come from?
ready-handed (English) comes 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, from Old Norse hǫnd — hand.
ready-handed (English): Capable or skillful, especially at manual tasks;...
Definitions
- Capable or skillful, especially at manual tasks;...
Ancestry of “ready-handed”, step by step
ready-handed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English handed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | handed | Having a certain kind or number of hands; Having... |
| 2 | English | Hand | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals |
| 3 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 4 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 6 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 7 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 8 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |
via English ready
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ready | Prepared for immediate action or use; Inclined;... |
| 2 | Middle English | redy | ready |
| 3 | Middle English | irēd | — |
| 4 | Old English | rǣde | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | garaidijaz | Alternative form of *garaidaz; arranged, ready |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | raidijaz | Alternative form of *raidaz |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | raidaz | ready, arranged, prepared |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁dʰ- | to care |