Where does “Handlanger” come from?

Handlanger (German) comes from German hand, from Middle High German hant, from Old High German hant, from Proto-West Germanic handu, from Swedish hand, from Old Swedish hand, from Old Norse hǫnd, from Proto-Germanic handuz — hand.

Handlanger (German): a handyman; a henchman

Definitions

  1. a handyman; a henchman

Ancestry of “Handlanger”, step by step

Handlanger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German hand

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanhandhand
2Middle High Germanhanthand
3Old High Germanhanthand
4Proto-West Germanichanduhand
5SwedishhandA hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player
6Old SwedishhandA hand; A direction; A behalf
7Old Norsehǫndhand
8Proto-Germanichanduzhand

via German langēn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanlangēn—
2Middle High Germanlangen—
3Old High Germanlangēn—
4Proto-West Germanic*langōn—
5Proto-GermaniclangōnąTo desire; long for
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlengʷʰ-light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,...

Words derived from “Handlanger”

Every word from Proto-Germanic handuz →Every word from Old Norse hǫnd →Every word from Old Swedish hand →