Meanings
plural handiworks · alternative dated handywork
- uncountableusuallyA handmade object; a handicraft.
The Museum of Popular Arts showcases Portugal's finest handiworks.
- uncountableusuallyWork done personally.
The street names are the handiwork of city planners.
1 more example
The firmament showeth his handiwork.
1901, Bible (American Standard) - Psalms 19:1 - uncountableusuallyThe result of personal efforts.
Brunel's associations with the area have left a few examples of his handiwork or teaching in South Wales.
1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 1631 more example
As a primary architect of the draft Constitution that emerged from Philadelphia in 1787, Madison substantially bore the burden of defending his handiwork in his home state.
2004 Fall, Laurence Claus, “The Antidiscrimination Eighth Amendment”, in Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, volume 28, number 1, pages 119–168
Synonyms & antonyms
nounWork done by the hands.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*handuz
- Proto-West Germanic*handu
- Old Englishhand
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
- Proto-Germanic*ga-
- Proto-West Germanic*ga-
- Old Englishġe-
- Proto-Indo-European*werǵ-
- Proto-Indo-European*wérǵom
- Proto-Germanic*werką
- Proto-West Germanic*werk
- Old Englishweorc
- Old Englishġeweorc
- Old Englishhandġeweorc
- Middle Englishhondywerk
- Englishhandiwork
From Middle English hondywerk, handiwerc, from Old English handġeweorc (“work done by hand, creation”), from hand (“hand”) + ġeweorc (“work”). Equivalent to hand + work, though it may now be reinterpreted as handy (“skilful”) + work. Compare Saterland Frisian Hondwierk, Dutch handwerk, German Handwerk.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek χειρωναξία
- χειρωναξία (kheirōnaxía)work done by the hands
Bulgarian ръкоделие
- ръкоделие (răkodelie)work done by the hands
Chinese Cantonese 手工
- 手工 (sau² gung¹)work done by the hands
Chinese Mandarin 手工
- 手工 (shǒugōng)work done by the hands
Finnish käsityö
- käsityöwork done by the hands
Hungarian kézzel végzett munka, kézimunka
- kézzel végzett munkawork done by the hands
- kézimunkahandmade object; handicraft
- (keze) munkájathe result of personal efforts
- művethe result of personal efforts
Indonesian kerajinan tangan
- kerajinan tanganwork done by the hands
Portuguese trabalho manual
- trabalho manualwork done by the hands
Russian ручная рабо́та
- ручная рабо́та (ručnaja rabóta)work done by the hands
Spanish hechura
- hechurawork done by the hands
Turkish el işi
- el işiwork done by the hands
Cite this entry
handiwork. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handiwork
“handiwork.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handiwork. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “handiwork,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handiwork.
Source: handiwork on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.