Word.ws English Dictionary

handgift

handgift noun: a gift given directly (i.e. by hand), usually to a newly wedded couple; a wedding gift.

Noun

handgift (plural handgifts)

  1. A gift given directly (i.e. by hand), usually to a newly wedded couple; a wedding gift
    • Thanks for a Knife Llywelyn, eagle of fine men, fierce in battle, son of the tawny grey man, prince and foster-son of praise, refined, proud, virtuous hawk, is there any better weapon, good is the handgift, than the one you gave me, renowned gift?1993, Iolo (Goch), Iolo Goch: Poems - Page 42
    • Would it not be best to just let life go by now, to treasure her friends and use her handgifts to help others? To become closer to some, and especially, in honor of the only man she would ever love, become closer to his parents?1994, Karen Harper, The Wings of Morning - Page 103

Forms of handgift

pluralhandgifts

Origin of handgift

From Middle English *handgift, from Old English handgift (“a gift given by hand; a marriage gift”), equivalent to hand + gift. Compare Dutch handgift, Middle High German hantgift (“handgift”).

Questions about handgift

What does handgift mean?
Handgift means a gift given directly (i.e. by hand), usually to a newly wedded couple; a wedding gift.
What part of speech is handgift?
Handgift is a noun.
What is the plural of handgift?
The plural of handgift is handgifts.

Words near handgift in the dictionary

  1. handgags
  2. handgame
  3. handgames
  4. handgate
  5. handgates
  6. handgift
  7. handgifts
  8. handglass
  9. handglasses
  10. handglide
  11. handglides

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: handgift (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “handgift.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/handgift. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.