handfast

[ hand-fast, -fahst ]

noun

Archaic. a covenant or contract, especially a betrothal, usually completed by a handclasp.

Origin of handfast

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 handhand + festa to betroth, literally, make fast, fasten

Words Nearby handfast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use handfast in a sentence

The issue of “handfast” marriages in Scotland were eligible to be chiefs, and even sometimes claimed under feudal law.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 | Various
"A Candidatus Theoligiae, your Majesty," answered a handfast threadbare youth one day, when questioned in this manner.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Volume IV. (of XXI.) | Thomas Carlyle

British Dictionary definitions for handfast

handfast

/ (ˈhændˌfɑːst) archaic /

noun

an agreement, esp of marriage, confirmed by a handshake
a firm grip

verb(tr)

to betroth or marry (two persons or another person) by joining the hands
to grip with the hand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse