Where does “handful” come from?
handful (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic handufullō, from Proto-Germanic fullaz, from Proto-Indo-European pl̥h₁nós, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- — to fill.
handful (Old English): handful
Definitions
- handful
Ancestry of “handful”, step by step
handful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Proto-Germanic handufullō
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Germanic | handufullō | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | fullaz | full; the whole, the entire |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |
via Proto-Germanic handufulliz
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Germanic | handufulliz | handful |