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Webster 1913 Edition

Handy

Hand′y

(hănd′y̆)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Handier
(-ĭ-ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Handiest
.]
[OE.
hendi
, AS.
hendig
(in comp.), fr.
hand
hand; akin to D.
handig
, Goth.
handugs
clever, wise.]
1.
Performed by the hand.
[Obs.]
To draw up and come to
handy
strokes.
Milton.
2.
Skillful in using the hand; dexterous; ready; adroit.
“Each is handy in his way.”
Dryden.
3.
Ready to the hand; near; also, suited to the use of the hand; convenient; valuable for reference or use;
as, my tools are
handy
; a
handy
volume.
4.
(Naut.)
Easily managed; obedient to the helm; – said of a vessel.

Webster 1828 Edition

Handy

HAND'Y

, a.
1.
Performed by the hand.
They came to handy blows.
2.
Dexterous; ready; adroit; skilled to use the hands with ease in performance; applied to persons. He is handy with the saw or the place. Each is handy in his way.
3.
Ingenious; performing with skill and readiness.
4.
Ready to the hand; near. My books are very handy.
5.
Convenient; suited to the use of the hand.
6.
Near; that may be used without difficulty or going to a distance. We have a spring or pasture that is handy.

Definition 2024

Handy

Handy

See also: handy and händy

English

Proper noun

Handy

  1. A male given name

German

Etymology

From English handy. According to some commentators, the German meaning is originally German, whereas others claim there was an early, but now neglected, antetype of it in English. More likely, however, is that handy is a condensed form of Handfunktelefon, which was how it was marketed by electronic firms such as Bosch and Hagenuk. (Elizabeth M Christopher, International Management: Explorations Across Cultures, Kogan Page Publishers, 2012, p. 272.)

Pronunciation

Handy
  • IPA(key): /ˈhɛndi/

Noun

Handy n ‎(genitive Handys, plural Handys)

  1. mobile phone, mobile, cell phone, cellular phone
    • 1994 May 11, Ralf Schlüter, "Stimmungen frei Hand", Berliner Zeitung:
      Alle paar Minuten hängt er am Handy und macht Termine klar.
      Every few minutes he's on his cell phone arranging appointments.
    • 2008, Ulrich Breymann and Heiko Mosemann, Java me, Hanser Verlag, ISBN 3446413766, p. 283:
      Bluetooth ist eine drahtlose Kommunikationstechnologie. Der Ursprung dieser Technologie liegt im Jahre 1994, als die Firma Ericsson eine Alternative zu Kabeln für die Verbindung ihrer Handys zum Zubehör wie Headsets suchte.
      Bluetooth is a wireless communication technology. This technology originated in 1994, when Ericsson was looking for an alternative to cables for connecting their cell phones to accessories like headsets.
    • 2009, Ernst Stahl, E-Commerce-Leitfaden, ibi research, ISBN 3868450203, p.123:
      Der Kunde hält sein Handy zum Bezahlen einfach an ein Lesegerät und der Betrag wird von seinem Konto abgebucht.
      To pay, the customer just holds his cell phone up to a reader and the amount is deducted from his account.

Declension

Derived terms

Synonyms

Luxembourgish

Etymology

Via German Handy from English handy.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈhændi/

Noun

Handy m ‎(plural Handyen)

  1. mobile phone, mobile
    Hien däerf den Handy vu sengem eelere Brudder benotzen.‎
    He may use his elder brother's mobile phone.

handy

handy

See also: Handy and händy

English

Adjective

handy ‎(comparative handier, superlative handiest)

  1. Easy to use, useful.
    Some people regard duct tape as a handy fix-all.
  2. Nearby, within reach.
    You wouldn’t have a screwdriver handy, would you?
    I keep a first-aid kit handy in case of emergency.
  3. (dialect) dexterous, skilful
    She's very handy: she made all her own kitchen cupboards.
  4. Of a freight ship: having a small cargo capacity (less than 40,000 DWT); belonging to the handysize class.

Synonyms

Translations

References

  • handy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • handy in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • handy at OneLook Dictionary Search

Scots

Adjective

handy ‎(comparative handier, superlative handiest)

  1. handy
  2. dexterous, skilful
  3. amenable (of an animal)

Etymology

From Middle English, alteration of earlier hendi ‎(“handy, skillful”), from Old English hendiġ ‎(“skillful”) (as in listhendiġ ‎(“skilled in art”)), from Proto-Germanic *handugaz ‎(“handy, skillful, nimble”), from *handuz ‎(“hand”), equivalent to hand +‎ -y. Cognate with Middle Low German handich ‎(“skillful, apt”), Middle High German handec, hendec ‎(“manual, hand-held”), Old Norse hǫndugr ‎(“efficient”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌿𐌲𐍃 ‎(handugs, “wise, clever”). Akin to Dutch handig ‎(“handy”), Norwegian hendig ‎(“handy”), Swedish händig ‎(“handy”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: hăn'di, IPA(key): /ˈhæn.di/
  • Rhymes: -ændi

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