handy
Plural: handies
Noun
- United States blues musician who transcribed and published traditional blues music (1873-1958)
- The hand.
- A handgun.
- A hand job.
- Synonym of mobile phone.
Adjective Satellite
- easy to reach
- "found a handy spot for the can opener"
- easy to use
- "a handy gadget"
- skillful with the hands
- "handy with an axe"
Adj
- Easy to use, useful.
- Nearby, within reach.
- Dexterous, skilful. (of a person)
- Physically violent; tending to use one's fists.
- Of a freight ship: having a small cargo capacity (less than 40,000 DWT); belonging to the handysize class.
Adjective
- Convenient to use; skillful with one's hands.
Examples
- A dictionary app is HANDY for quickly checking word validity.
- I keep a first-aid kit handy in case of emergency.
- She's very handy: she made all her own kitchen cupboards.
- Some people regard duct tape as a handy fix-all.
- You wouldn’t have a screwdriver handy, would you?
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English handy, hondi (attested in personal names), alteration of earlier hendi (“handy, skillful”), from Old English *hendiġ (“skillful”) (attested in listhendiġ (“skilled in art”)), from Proto-West Germanic *handīg, *handag, *handug, from Proto-Germanic *handugaz (“handy, skillful, nimble”), from *handuz (“hand”), equivalent to hand + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian jäntich (“handy”), 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”).
Synonyms
ready to hand, W. C. Handy, William Christopher Handy, at hand, crafty, mobile phone, on hand, to hand, wristy
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 12
handy: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordhandy: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
handy: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary