different between hand vs character

English

Etymology

From Middle English hond, hand, from Old English hand (“hand, side (in defining position), power, control, possession, charge, agency, person regarded as holder or receiver of something”), from Proto-West Germanic *handu (“hand”), from Proto-Germanic *handuz (“hand”) (compare Dutch, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish hand, German Hand, West Frisian hân), of uncertain origin. Perhaps compare Old Swedish hinna (“to gain”), Gothic ????????????-???????????????????????? (fra-hinþan, “to take captive, capture”); and Latvian s?ts (“hunting spear”), Ancient Greek ?????? (kenté?, “prick”), Albanian çandër (“pitchfork, prop”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: h?nd, IPA^(key): /hænd/
• Rhymes: -ænd

Noun

hand (plural hands)

1. The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals.

   Meronyms: index finger, middle finger, palm, pinky, ring finger, thumb

   • Using her hands like windshield wipers, she tried to flick snow away from her mouth. When she clawed at her chest and neck, the crumbs maddeningly slid back onto her face. She grew claustrophobic.

2. That which resembles, or to some extent performs the office of, a human hand.
   1. A limb of certain animals, such as the foot of a hawk, or any one of the four extremities of a monkey.
   2. An index or pointer on a dial; such as the hour and minute hands on the face of an analog clock, which are used to indicate the time of day.
3. That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.
   1. (card games) The set of cards held by a player.
      1. A round of a card game.
   2. (tobacco manufacturing) A bundle of tobacco leaves tied together.
   4. (collective) A bunch of bananas.
4. That which has the appearance of, a human hand.
   1. A bunch of bananas, a typical retail amount, where individual fruits are fingers.
5. In linear measurement:
   1. (chiefly in measuring the height of horses) Four inches, a hand's breadth.
   2. (obsolete) Three inches.
6. A side; part, camp; direction, either right or left.
   • 1950, Bertrand Russell, acceptance speech for Nobel Prize in Literature

     I maintain, however, on the one hand, that there are few occasions upon which large bodies of men, such as politics is concerned with, can rise above selfishness, while, on the other hand, there are a very great many circumstances in which populations will fall below selfishness, if selfishness is interpreted as enlightened self-interest.

7. Power of performance; means of execution; ability; skill; dexterity.
8. (especially in compounds) An agent; a servant, or manual laborer; a workman, trained or competent for special service or duty.
9. A performer more or less skilful.
   • 1903, George Horace Lorimer, Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to his Son (page 46)

     At the church sociables he used to hop around among them, chipping and chirping like a dicky-bird picking up seed; and he was a great hand to play the piano, and sing saddish, sweetish songs to them.

10. An instance of helping.
11. Handwriting; style of penmanship.
12. A person's autograph or signature.

13. Personal possession; ownership.

    • Receiving in hand one year’s tribute.

14. (usually in the plural, hands) Management, domain, control.
15. Applause.
    • 2013, Tom Shone, Oscar nominations pull a surprise by showing some taste – but will it last? (in The Guardian, 11 January 2013)[4]

      Also a big hand for Silver Linings Playbook, an exuberant modern screwball comedy we had, in an unseemly fit of cynicism, deemed "too entertaining" for Academy voters.

16. (historical) A Native American gambling game, involving guessing the whereabouts of bits of ivory or similar, which are passed rapidly from hand to hand.
17. (firearms) The small part of a gunstock near the lock, which is grasped by the hand in taking aim.
18. A whole rhizome of ginger.
19. The feel of a fabric; the impression or quality of the fabric as judged qualitatively by the sense of touch.

20. (archaic) Actual performance; deed; act; workmanship; agency; hence, manner of performance.
21. (archaic) Agency in transmission from one person to another.

22. (obsolete) Rate; price.

Usage notes

Hand is used figuratively for a large variety of acts or things, in the doing, or making, or use of which the hand is in some way employed or concerned; also, as a symbol to denote various qualities or conditions, as,

(a) Activity; operation; work; — in distinction from the head, which implies thought, and the heart, which implies affection.

His hand will be against every man. — Genesis 16:12

(b) Power; might; supremacy; — often in the Scriptures.

With a mighty hand . . . will I rule over you. — Ezekiel 20:33.

(c) Fraternal feeling; for example to give, or take, the hand; to give the right hand

(d) Contract; — commonly of marriage; for example to ask the hand; to pledge the hand

Synonyms

• (part of the arm below the wrist): manus (formal), paw (of some animals)

Derived terms

Coordinate terms

Related terms

• handle

Translations

See hand/translations § Noun.

See also

Appendix:English collective nouns

Verb

hand (third-person singular simple present hands, present participle handing, simple past and past participle handed)

1. (transitive) To give, pass or transmit with the hand, literally or figuratively.

2. (transitive) To lead, guide, or assist with the hand; to conduct.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To manage.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To seize; to lay hands on.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

5. (transitive, rare) To pledge by the hand; to handfast.
6. (transitive, nautical, said of a sail) To furl.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Totten to this entry?)

7. (intransitive, obsolete) To cooperate.

Derived terms

Translations

References

• hand in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• Dahn, Danh, H-DNA, NADH, dahn, hDNA

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch hand, from Middle Dutch hant, from Old Dutch hant, from Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ant/

Noun

hand (plural hande, diminutive handjie)

1. A hand.

Derived terms

• handskoen

Danish

Pronoun

hand

1. Obsolete spelling of han (“he”)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch hant, from Old Dutch hant, from Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??nt/
• Hyphenation: hand
• Rhymes: -?nt

Noun

hand f (plural handen, diminutive handje n)

1. A hand of a human, other simian or other animal with fingers.

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: hand

French

Etymology

Clipping of handball. Compare foot from football.

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /??d/

Noun

hand m (uncountable)

1. The sport handball.

Synonyms

• handball

Middle English

Etymology

From Old English hand

Noun

hand (plural hands)

1. Alternative form of hond (“hand”)

Descendants

• English: hand

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• hånd

Etymology

From Old Norse h?nd, from Proto-Germanic *handuz

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /han/, [h?n]
• Homophones: han, hann
• Rhymes: -?n

Noun

hand f or m (definite singular handa or handen, indefinite plural hender, definite plural hendene)

1. (anatomy) A hand.

Derived terms

Related terms

• hanske (“glove”)

References

“hand” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse h?nd, from Proto-Germanic *handuz. Akin to English hand.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /h?nd/, /h?n?/ (examples of pronunciation)
• Homophones: han, hann (in some dialects)
• Rhymes: -?n

Noun

hand f (definite singular handa, indefinite plural hender, definite plural hendene)

1. (anatomy) A hand.

Derived terms

Related terms

• hanske (“glove”)

References

• “hand” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Alternative forms

• hond

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz. Compare Old Frisian and Old Saxon hand, Old High German hant, Old Norse h?nd.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /x?nd/, [h?nd]

Noun

hand f (nominative plural handa)

1. A hand.

Declension

Derived terms

• handb?c
• hand?ewrit

Descendants

• Middle English: hond, hand
  • English: hand
  • Scots: hand, haund
  • Yola: hoane

Old Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?hand/

Noun

hand f

1. Alternative form of hond

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *handu, from Proto-Germanic *handuz. Compare Old Frisian and Old English hand, Old High German hant, Old Norse h?nd.

Noun

hand f

1. A hand.

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: hant
  • German Low German: Hand
  • Westphalian:

    Westmünsterländisch: Hand

    Ravensbergisch-Lippisch: Hand

  • Plautdietsch: Haunt

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse h?nd, from Proto-Germanic *handuz.

Noun

hand f

1. A hand
2. A direction
3. A behalf
4. A sort, kind.

Declension

Descendants

• Swedish: hand

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish hand, from Old Norse h?nd, from Proto-Germanic *handuz. Cognate with Danish hånd, Norwegian hand, English hand and German Hand.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hand/

Noun

hand c

1. (anatomy) A hand.

2. (card games) A hand; the set of cards held by a player.

Declension

Related terms

References

• hand in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

English

Etymology

From Middle English caracter, from Old French caractere, from Latin character, from Ancient Greek ???????? (kharakt?r, “type, nature, character”), from ??????? (kharáss?, “I engrave”). Doublet of charakter.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k??(?)kt?/, /?kæ?(?)kt?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?kæ??kt?/
• Hyphenation: char?ac?ter

Noun

character (countable and uncountable, plural characters)

1. (countable) A being involved in the action of a story.
2. (countable) A distinguishing feature; characteristic; trait; phene.

3. (uncountable, countable) A complex of traits marking a person, group, breed, or type.

   • A man of […] thoroughly subservient character

4. (uncountable) Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; moral strength.

5. (countable) A unique or extraordinary individual; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits, especially charisma.

6. (countable) A written or printed symbol, or letter.
   • 1669, William Holder, Elements of Speech

     It were much to be wished that there were throughout the world but one sort of character for each letter to express it to the eye.

7. (countable, dated) Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the particular form of letters used by a person or people.
8. (countable, dated) A secret cipher; a way of writing in code.
9. (countable, computing) One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.
10. (countable, informal) A person or individual, especially one who is unknown or raises suspicions.

11. (countable, mathematics) A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.
12. (countable) Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty.

13. (countable, dated) The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation.

    • This subterraneous passage is much mended since Seneca gave so bad a character of it.

14. (countable, dated) A reference given to a servant, attesting to their behaviour, competence, etc.
15. (countable, obsolete) Personal appearance.

Usage notes

Character is sometimes used interchangeably with reputation, but the two words have different meanings; character describes the distinctive qualities of an individual or group while reputation describes the opinions held by others regarding an individual or group. Character is internal and authentic, while reputation is external and perceived.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Pages starting with “character”.

Translations

Verb

character (third-person singular simple present characters, present participle charactering, simple past and past participle charactered)

1. (obsolete) To write (using characters); to describe.

See also

• codepoint
• font
• glyph
• letter
• symbol
• rune
• pictogram

Latin

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek ???????? (kharakt?r).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /k?a?rak.ter/, [k?ä??äkt??r]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ka?rak.ter/, [k????kt??r]

Noun

character m (genitive charact?ris); third declension

1. branding iron
2. brand (made by a branding iron)
3. characteristic, mark, character, style

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Descendants

• Hungarian: karakter
• Galician: caritel; ? carácter
• Irish: carachtar
• Italian: carattere
• Old French: caractere
  • ? English: character
  • French: caractère
• Polish: charakter
  • ? Russian: ????????? (xarákter)
• Portuguese: caractere, carácter
• Sicilian: caràttiri
• Spanish: carácter

References

• character in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• character in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• character in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700?^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Portuguese

Noun

character m (plural characteres)

1. Obsolete spelling of caráter (used in Portugal until September 1911 and died out in Brazil during the 1920s).