Etymology : Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German hant hand
Pronunciation : hand
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. good day, I wish you a pleasant day (Internet Slang). part of the body at the end of the arm; handwriting; pointer on a clock; cards dealt to a card player; help; skill, ability; side; round of applause; worker; sailor; linear measure equal to 4 inches. give, pass using the hand; help, assist. of or pertaining to a hand. hand\hand\ , n. a gambling game played by american indians, consisting of guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or the like, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand.hand \hand\ , v. t. [imp. & p. p. handed; p. pr. & vb. n. handing.].
2. to give, pass, or transmit with the hand; as, he handed them the letter.
3. to lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct; as, to hand a lady into a carriage.
4. to manage; as, i hand my oar. [obs.].
5. to seize; to lay hands on. [obs.].
6. to pledge by the hand; to handfast. [r.].
7. (naut.) to furl; -- said of a sail.
8. That part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in man and monkeys, and the corresponding part in many other animals; manus; paw.
9. See Manus.
10. That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand A limb of certain animals, as the foot of a hawk, or any one of the four extremities of a monkey.
11. An index or pointer on a dial; as, the hour or minute hand of a clock.
12. A measure equal to a hand's breadth, four inches; a palm.
13. Chiefly used in measuring the height of horses.
14. Side; part; direction, either right or left.
15. Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.
16. Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.
17. An agent; a servant, or laborer; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty; a performer more or less skillful; as, a deck hand; a farm hand; an old hand at speaking.
18. Handwriting; style of penmanship; as, a good, bad, or running hand.
19. Hence, a signature.
20. Personal possession; ownership; hence, control; direction; management; usually in the plural.
21. Agency in transmission from one person to another; as, to buy at first hand, that is, from the producer, or when new; at second hand, that is, when no longer in the producer's hand, or when not new.
22. Rate; price.
23. That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once The quota of cards received from the dealer.
24. A bundle of tobacco leaves tied together.
25. The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.
26. To give, pass, or transmit with the hand; as, he handed them the letter.
27. To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct; as, to hand a lady into a carriage.
28. To manage; as, I hand my oar.
29. To seize; to lay hands on.
30. To pledge by the hand; to handfast.
31. To furl; said of a sail.
32. To coöperate.
33. A gambling game played by American Indians, consisting of guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or the like, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand. physical assistance; "give me a hand with the chores" terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates ; "the kangaroo's forearms seem undeveloped but the powerful five-fingered hands are skilled at feinting and clouting"- Springfield Union a rotating pointer on the face of a timepiece; "the big hand counts the minutes" the extremity of the superior limb; "he had the hands of a surgeon"; "he extended his mitt" ability; "he wanted to try his hand at singing" one of two sides of an issue; "on the one hand..., but on the other hand..." a round of applause to signify approval; "give the little lady a great big hand" the cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time; "I didn't hold a good hand all evening"; "he kept trying to see:
my hand" a position given by its location to the side of an object; "objections were voiced on every hand" a member of the crew of a ship; "all hands on deck" a unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horses; "the horse stood 20 hands" guide or conduct or usher somewhere; "hand the elderly lady into the taxi".
34. American jurist. As a federal judge (1924-1951) his influence was so great that he was sometimes called the "tenth man" of the U.S. Supreme Court. End part of the arm, consisting of the wrist joint, palm, thumb, and fingers. The hand has great mobility and flexibility to carry out precise movements. Bipedal locomotion in humans frees the hands for grasping and manipulation. The opposable thumb allows them to pick up small items and grip objects from both sides. Dexterity in the hands and increased brain size are believed to have evolved together in humans.