hansel

han·sel

H h

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [han-suh l]
- /ˈhæn səl/
- /ˈhæn.səl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [han-suh l]
- /ˈhæn səl/

Definitions of hansel word

verb with object hansel to give a handsel to. 1
verb with object hansel to inaugurate auspiciously. 1
verb with object hansel to use, try, or experience for the first time. 1
noun hansel a gift or token for good luck or as an expression of good wishes, as at the beginning of the new year or when entering upon a new situation or enterprise. 1
noun hansel a first installment of payment. 1
noun hansel the initial experience of anything; first encounter with or use of something taken as a token of what will follow; foretaste. 1

See all 10 definitions of hansel

Information block about the term

Origin of hansel

First appearance:

before 1050

One of the 6% oldest English words

before 1050; Middle English handselne good-luck token, good-will gift, Old English handselen manumission, literally, hand-gift (see hand, sell1); cognate with Danish handsel, earnest money

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Hansel

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Hansel

hansel popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 53% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

hansel usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer