Where does “Handgriff” come from?

Handgriff (Pennsylvania German) comes from Pennsylvania German Hand, 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.

Handgriff (Pennsylvania German): grip; handle

Definitions

  1. grip; handle

Ancestry of “Handgriff”, step by step

Handgriff traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Pennsylvania German Hand

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

via Pennsylvania German Griff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Pennsylvania GermanGriffgrip; clip
Every word from Proto-Germanic handuz →Every word from Old Norse hǫnd →Every word from Old Swedish hand →