Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “underhandedness” come from?

underhandedness (English) comes from English underhanded, 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.

underhandedness (English): The characteristic of being underhanded

Definitions

  1. The characteristic of being underhanded

Ancestry of “underhandedness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunderhandedDone by moving the hand from below; Sly,...
2EnglishhandedHaving a certain kind or number of hands; Having...
3EnglishHand—
4Middle Englishhondhand; Alternative form of hound
5Old EnglishhandA hand
6Proto-West Germanichanduhand
7SwedishhandA hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player
8Old SwedishhandA hand; A direction; A behalf
9Old Norsehǫndhand
10Proto-Germanichanduzhand
Every word from Proto-Germanic handuz →