Where does “handball” come from?
handball (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.
Ancestry of “handball”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | hand | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | hant | — |
| 3 | Old High German | hant | hand |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 5 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 6 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 7 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |