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Hand: (Old English) Hand is a widespread Germanic word (German, Dutch and Swedish also have it), but has no relatives outside Germanic, and no one is too sure where it comes from. Perhaps the likeliest explanation is that it is related to Gothic frahinthan 'seize', 'pursue', Swedish hinna 'reach' and English hunt, and that its underlying meaning is 'body part used for seizing'. The derived adjective handsome (15th century) originally meant simply 'easy to handle'. The modern sense 'attractive' did not develop until the late 16th century.

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17y ago

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