handful
/ˈhæn(d)fʊl/ noun
Forms handfuls handsful handfull
- noun The amount that a hand will grasp or contain.
- noun (obsolete) A hand's breadth; four inches.
- noun A small number, usually approximately five.
- noun A group or number of things; a bunch.
- noun (informal) Something which can only be managed with difficulty. “Those twins are a real handful to look after.”
- noun (slang) A five-year prison sentence.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English handful, hondful, from Old English handfull (“handful”), from Proto-Germanic *handufullō, *handufulliz (“handful”), from Proto-Germanic *handuz (“hand”) + *fullaz (“full”); equivalent to hand + full (“fullness, plenty”) or hand + -ful. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hondful (“handful”), West Frisian hânfol (“handful”), Dutch handvol (“handful”), German Handvoll (“handful”), Danish håndfuld (“handful”), Swedish handfull (“handful”), Icelandic handfylli (“handful”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [AS. handfull.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “handful”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details