Where does “underhandly” come from?
underhandly (English) comes from English underhand, 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.
underhandly (English): In an underhand manner
Ancestry of “underhandly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | underhand | secret; clandestine; dishonest and sneaky; done... |
| 2 | English | Hand | — |
| 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 |