handsel

or han·sel

[ han-suhl ]

/ ˈhæn səl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR handsel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a gift or token for good luck or as an expression of good wishes, as at the beginning of the new year or when entering upon a new situation or enterprise.

a first installment of payment.

the initial experience of anything; first encounter with or use of something taken as a token of what will follow; foretaste.

verb (used with object), hand·seled, hand·sel·ing or (especially British) hand·selled, hand·sel·ling.

to give a handsel to.

to inaugurate auspiciously.

to use, try, or experience for the first time.

Origin of handsel

First recorded before 1050; Middle English handselne “good-luck token, good-will gift,” Old English handselen “manumission,” literally “hand-gift” (see hand, sell¹); cognate with Danish handsel, “earnest money.” The Middle English word was influenced by Old Norse handsal “hand-shake, hand-clasp (for sealing a purchase or a promise).”

OTHER WORDS FROM handsel

un·hand·seled; (especially British) un·hand·selled, adjective

Words nearby handsel

hand's-breadth, Hand-Schüller-Christian disease, hand screw, hand scroll, hands-down, handsel, handset, hand setting, handsew, handsewn, handsfree

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for handsel

Lieutenant Handsel at once took the command, making his clear voice, as he issued his orders, heard amid the wild din of battle.
The Two Shipmates|William H. G. Kingston
He would instantly give him a 'handsel' of harrying to stay his proud stomach.
Border Ghost Stories|Howard Pease
"And here's a handsel to cross his palm," added Harry, passing the piper something invisible.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
A bareheaded lassie, hoping to be handsel, threw down twopence, and asked tape at three yards for a halfpenny.
The Life of Mansie Wauch|David Macbeth Moir

“Then we shall have the satisfaction of retaking her and thrashing her captor into the bargain,” said Mr Handsel.
The Two Shipmates|William H. G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for handsel

handsel

hansel

archaic, or dialect

noun

a gift for good luck at the beginning of a new year, new venture, etc

verb -sels, -selling or -selled or US -sels, -seling or -seled (tr)

to give a handsel to (a person)

to begin (a venture) with ceremony; inaugurate

Word Origin for handsel

Old English handselen delivery into the hand; related to Old Norse handsal promise sealed with a handshake, Swedish handsöl gratuity; see hand, sell

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

单词	handsel
释义	handsel or han·sel [ han-suhl ] / ˈhæn səl / SEE SYNONYMS FOR handsel ON THESAURUS.COM noun a gift or token for good luck or as an expression of good wishes, as at the beginning of the new year or when entering upon a new situation or enterprise. a first installment of payment. the initial experience of anything; first encounter with or use of something taken as a token of what will follow; foretaste. verb (used with object), hand·seled, hand·sel·ing or (especially British) hand·selled, hand·sel·ling. to give a handsel to. to inaugurate auspiciously. to use, try, or experience for the first time. Origin of handsel First recorded before 1050; Middle English handselne “good-luck token, good-will gift,” Old English handselen “manumission,” literally “hand-gift” (see hand, sell¹); cognate with Danish handsel, “earnest money.” The Middle English word was influenced by Old Norse handsal “hand-shake, hand-clasp (for sealing a purchase or a promise).” OTHER WORDS FROM handsel un·hand·seled; (especially British) un·hand·selled, adjective Words nearby handsel hand's-breadth, Hand-Schüller-Christian disease, hand screw, hand scroll, hands-down, handsel, handset, hand setting, handsew, handsewn, handsfree Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for handsel Lieutenant Handsel at once took the command, making his clear voice, as he issued his orders, heard amid the wild din of battle. The Two Shipmates\|William H. G. Kingston He would instantly give him a 'handsel' of harrying to stay his proud stomach. Border Ghost Stories\|Howard Pease "And here's a handsel to cross his palm," added Harry, passing the piper something invisible. The Incendiary\|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy A bareheaded lassie, hoping to be handsel, threw down twopence, and asked tape at three yards for a halfpenny. The Life of Mansie Wauch\|David Macbeth Moir “Then we shall have the satisfaction of retaking her and thrashing her captor into the bargain,” said Mr Handsel. The Two Shipmates\|William H. G. Kingston British Dictionary definitions for handsel handsel hansel archaic, or dialect noun a gift for good luck at the beginning of a new year, new venture, etc verb -sels, -selling or -selled or US -sels, -seling or -seled (tr) to give a handsel to (a person) to begin (a venture) with ceremony; inaugurate Word Origin for handsel Old English handselen delivery into the hand; related to Old Norse handsal promise sealed with a handshake, Swedish handsöl gratuity; see hand, sell Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Words related to handsel allowance, alms, award, benefaction, benefit, bequest, bestowal, bonus, boon, bounty, charity, contribution, courtesy, dispensation, donation, endowment, favor, grant, gratuity, hand
随便看	no news is good news nonexclusive nonexecutive nonexecutive director nonexistence nonexistent nonexportation nonfamilial hyperlipoproteinemia nonfat nonfatal nonfattening nonfeasance nonfenestrated forceps nonferrous nonfiction nonfiction novel nonfinite clause nonfinite verb nonflammable nonforfeiture value nonfreezing nonfulfillment nong nongonococcal urethritis nongovernmental

handsel

or han·sel

noun

verb (used with object), hand·seled, hand·sel·ing or (especially British) hand·selled, hand·sel·ling.

Origin of handsel

OTHER WORDS FROM handsel

Words nearby handsel

Example sentences from the Web for handsel

British Dictionary definitions for handsel

hansel

noun

verb -sels, -selling or -selled or US -sels, -seling or -seled (tr)

Word Origin for handsel

Words related to handsel