English
handgift
Handgift comes from Old English handgift ‘a gift given by hand’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150handgift‘a gift given by hand’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*handgiftreconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation 1993handgift
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150handgift‘a gift given by hand’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*handgiftreconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation 1993handgift
Earliest quotation: 1993, Iolo: “Thanks for a Knife Llywelyn, eagle of fine men,…”
Every English word from Old English handgift
Today it means
noun A gift given directly (i.e. by hand), usually to a newly wedded couple; a wedding gift
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English handgift / handgift