Etymology

handfast

H4A1N1D2F4A1S1T1

Today it means: A hold, grasp; custody, power of confining or keeping. Full definition →

Middle English hondfast ← Old Norse handfesta
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handfast · noun, verb, adjective1

  1. Old Norse · derived fromhandfesta“to strike a bargain, pledge”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromhondfesten“to betroth”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromhondfast
  4. English todayhandfast

From Middle English hondfast, past participle of Middle English hondfesten (“to betroth”), from Old Norse handfesta (“to strike a bargain, pledge”), itself from hönd (“hand”) + festa (“to fasten, fix, affirm”), perhaps from a Proto-Indo-European root *pHst-.

handfast · adjective2

  1. German · calque ofhandfest
  2. English todayhandfast

Calque of German handfest, itself from Hand (“hand”) + fest (“firm, strong”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.