entry
handsome
/ˈhæn.səm/Attractive, well-proportioned, pleasing
From O.English / Proto-Germanic hand (the hand) + O.English / Proto-Germanic / Proto-Indo-European some (some).
from Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam....
from Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam....
from Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam....
from Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam....
Word Ancestry
from Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam....
from Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam....
from Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam....
from Middle English handsum, hondsom, equivalent to hand + -some. Compare Dutch handzaam, German Low German handsaam....
This one starts with a very practical image: something that fits in the hand without fuss. In Middle English, handsom meant “easy to handle,” the kind of word a carpenter or trader would love, and only later did it slide into “suitable” and then “good-looking.” The surprise is that the second piece, some, is the same old Germanic word behind words like some and somewhat, going all the way back to a PIE idea meaning “one” or “together.” So handsome originally had more to do with proper fit and proportion than with movie-star faces. A person could be handsome the way a well-made chair is handsome: balanced, useful, and just right.
The Story
This one starts with a very practical image: something that fits in the hand without fuss. In Middle English, handsom meant “easy to handle,” the kind of word a carpenter or trader would love, and only later did it slide into “suitable” and then “good-looking.” The surprise is that the second piece, some, is the same old Germanic word behind words like some and somewhat, going all the way back to a PIE idea meaning “one” or “together.” So handsome originally had more to do with proper fit and proportion than with movie-star faces. A person could be handsome the way a well-made chair is handsome: balanced, useful, and just right.
Modern Usage
Used informally for someone especially attractive or charming.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary
Kin & Kindred
From 'hand'·the hand; by extension, control or possession
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'some'·some, a certain one, one with others
Derived Terms
English words from this root