Where does “underhanded” come from?
Underhanded derives from Middle English under- combined with handed, tracing to Old English under-, from Proto-Germanic under, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European n̥dʰér and h₁en.
underhanded (English): Done by moving the hand from below; Sly,...
Definitions
- Done by moving the hand from below; Sly,...
Ancestry of “underhanded”, step by step
| 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 |