Where does “unhandleable” come from?
unhandleable (English) comes from English handleable, from English handle, from Middle English handel, from Old English handle, from Old English handlian, from Proto-West Germanic handulōn, from Proto-Germanic handlōną, from Proto-Germanic handuz — hand.
unhandleable (English): That cannot be handled
Definitions
- That cannot be handled
Ancestry of “unhandleable”, step by step
unhandleable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English handleable
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | handleable | Capable of being handled |
| 2 | English | handle | The part of an object which is held in the hand... |
| 3 | Middle English | handel | — |
| 4 | Old English | handle | a handle |
| 5 | Old English | handlian | to handle |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | handulōn | to handle |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | handlōną | to take or hold in the hand, seize, grip |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |
via English un
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | un | One |