handful

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*handuz“hand”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*handufullō
3. Old English · inherited fromhandfull“handful”
4. Middle English · inherited fromhandful
5. English todayhandful

From Middle English handful, hondful, from Old English handfull (“handful”), from Proto-Germanic *handufullō, *handufulliz (“handful”), from Proto-Germanic *handuz (“hand”) + *fullaz (“full”); equivalent to hand + full (“fullness, plenty”) or hand + -ful. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hondful (“handful”), West Frisian hânfol (“handful”), Dutch handvol (“handful”), German Handvoll (“handful”), Danish håndfuld (“handful”), Swedish handfull (“handful”), Icelandic handfylli (“handful”).

Words from the same roots