Where does “toom-handed” come from?

toom-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.

toom-handed (English): Emptyhanded

Definitions

  1. Emptyhanded

Ancestry of “toom-handed”, step by step

toom-handed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English handed

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhandedHaving a certain kind or number of hands; Having...
2EnglishHandThe part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals
3Middle Englishhondhand; Alternative form of hound
4Old EnglishhandA hand
5Proto-West Germanichanduhand
6SwedishhandA hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player
7Old SwedishhandA hand; A direction; A behalf
8Old Norsehǫndhand
9Proto-Germanichanduzhand

via English toom

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtoomEmpty; bare; A piece of waste ground where...
2Middle Englishtoom
3Old Englishtōmempty
4Proto-Germanictōmazfree, clear, empty, unoccupied
5Proto-Indo-Europeandoma-to tame
Every word from Proto-Germanic handuzEvery word from Old Norse hǫndEvery word from Old Swedish hand