handsel

or han·sel

[ han-suh l ]

/ ˈhæn səl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR handsel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

a first installment of payment.

the initial experience of anything; first encounter with or use of something taken as a token of what will follow; foretaste.

verb (used with object), hand·seled, hand·sel·ing or (especially British) hand·selled, hand·sel·ling.

to give a handsel to.

to inaugurate auspiciously.

to use, try, or experience for the first time.

Nearby words

Origin of handsel

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

Related formsun·hand·seled, adjectiveun·hand·selled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for handsel

Lieutenant Handsel at once took the command, making his clear voice, as he issued his orders, heard amid the wild din of battle.
The Two Shipmates|William H. G. Kingston
He would instantly give him a 'handsel' of harrying to stay his proud stomach.
Border Ghost Stories|Howard Pease
"And here's a handsel to cross his palm," added Harry, passing the piper something invisible.
The Incendiary|W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
A 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

“Then we shall have the satisfaction of retaking her and thrashing her captor into the bargain,” said Mr Handsel.
The Two Shipmates|William H. G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for handsel

handsel

hansel

archaic, or dialect

noun

a gift for good luck at the beginning of a new year, new venture, etc

verb -sels, -selling or -selled or US -sels, -seling or -seled (tr)

to give a handsel to (a person)

to begin (a venture) with ceremony; inaugurate

Word Origin for handsel

Old English handselen delivery into the hand; related to Old Norse handsal promise sealed with a handshake, Swedish handsöl gratuity; see hand, sell

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