handwork

H4A1N1D2W4O1R1K5

noun

Work done by the hands, as opposed to by machine.

Similar
handiworkhandicrafthandcraft
OriginMiddle English hondwerk ← Old English handweorc ← Proto-Germanic *handuwerką →
UncommonScrabble 19
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Meanings

nounhandwork (countable and uncountable, plural handworks)

plural handworks

  1. countableuncountableWork done by the hands, as opposed to by machine.

    Synonyms: handiwork

verbhandwork (third-person singular simple present handworks, present participle handworking, simple past and past participle handworked)

present singular third person handworks · participle present handworking · participle past handworked · past handworked

  1. transitiveTo work (materials) by hand, without the use of a machine.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounWork done by the hands, as opposed to by machine.

Similar
handiwork

More synonyms by meaning

nouna work produced by hand labor

Similar
handicrafthandcrafthandiwork
Broader
workpiece of work
Also see
handcrafthandicrafthandiwork

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*handuwerką
  2. Old Englishhandweorc“work done by hand; handiwork”
  3. Middle Englishhondwerk
  4. Englishhandwork

From Middle English hondwerk, from Old English handweorc (“work done by hand; handiwork”), from Proto-Germanic *handuwerką; equivalent to hand + work. Cognate with Dutch handwerk, German Handwerk, Swedish hantverk.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

workhand
Cite this entry
APA

handwork. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handwork

MLA

“handwork.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handwork. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “handwork,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handwork.

Source: handwork on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.