handfast

hand·fast

H h

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [hand-fast, -fahst]
- /ˈhændˌfæst, -ˌfɑst/
- /hˈandfast/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hand-fast, -fahst]
- /ˈhændˌfæst, -ˌfɑst/

Definitions of handfast word

noun handfast Archaic. a covenant or contract, especially a betrothal, usually completed by a handclasp. 1
noun handfast (obsolete) A hold, grasp; custody, power of confining or keeping. 1
noun handfast an agreement, esp of marriage, confirmed by a handshake 0
noun handfast a firm grip 0
verb handfast to betroth or marry (two persons or another person) by joining the hands 0
verb handfast to grip with the hand 0

See all 16 definitions of handfast

Information block about the term

Origin of handfast

First appearance:

before 1150

One of the 7% oldest English words

1150-1200; Middle English (past participle), earlier handfest < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse handfestr, past participle of handfesta to betroth with a joining of hands, equivalent to hand hand + festa to betroth, literally, make fast, fasten

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Handfast

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Handfast

handfast popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 48% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

handfast usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer