handsel
or han·sel
[han-suh l]
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.
RELATED WORDS
allowance, alms, award, benefaction, benefit, bequest, bestowal, bonus, boon, bounty, charity, contribution, courtesy, dispensation, donation, endowment, favor, grant, gratuity, hand
Nearby words
- hands-down,
- hands-free,
- hands-off,
- hands-on,
- handsaw,
- handset,
- handsew,
- handsewn,
- handsfree,
- handshake
Origin of handsel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for handsel
handsel
hansel
archaic, or dialect
noun
verb -sels, -selling or -selled or US -sels, -seling or -seled (tr)
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
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