handsel
or han·sel
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.
Rare. a first installment of payment.
Rare. the initial experience of anything; first encounter with or use of something taken as a token of what will follow; foretaste.
to give (someone) a gift for good luck or as an expression of good wishes, especially at the beginning of the new year or the launch of a new enterprise..
Older Use. to inaugurate auspiciously.
Older Use. to use, try, or experience for the first time.
Origin of handsel
1Other words from handsel
- un·hand·seled; (especially British) un·hand·selled, adjective
Words Nearby handsel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use handsel in a sentence
"And here's a handsel to cross his palm," added Harry, passing the piper something invisible.
The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) LeahyHe would instantly give him a 'handsel' of harrying to stay his proud stomach.
Border Ghost Stories | Howard PeaseBut the devil a sou the devils took; far from taking handsel, they were flouted and jeered by the country louts.
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Complete. | Francois Rabelais"Mercury hath sent us precious handsel this morning, truly," said he, when his diversion was concluded.
Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 (of 2) | John RobyA bareheaded lassie, hoping to be handsel, threw down twopence, and asked tape at three yards for a halfpenny.
The Life of Mansie Wauch | David Macbeth Moir
British Dictionary definitions for handsel
a gift for good luck at the beginning of a new year, new venture, etc
to give a handsel to (a person)
to begin (a venture) with ceremony; inaugurate
Origin of handsel
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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