different between handy vs handling

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English handy, hondi (attested in personal names), alteration of earlier hendi (“handy, skillful”), from Old English hendi? (“skillful”) (as in listhendi? (“skilled in art”)), from Proto-Germanic *handugaz (“handy, skillful, nimble”), from *handuz (“hand”), equivalent to hand +? -y. Cognate with Middle Low German handich (“skillful, apt”), Middle High German handec, hendec (“manual, hand-held”), Old Norse h?ndugr (“efficient”), Gothic ???????????????????????????? (handugs, “wise, clever”). Akin to Dutch handig (“handy”), Norwegian hendig (“handy”), Swedish händig (“handy”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: h?n'di, IPA^(key): /?hæn.di/
• Rhymes: -ændi

Adjective

handy (comparative handier, superlative handiest)

1. Easy to use, useful.

2. Nearby, within reach.

   Synonym: at hand

3. Of a person: dexterous, skilful.

   Synonym: crafty

4. (slang) Physically violent; tending to use one's fists.
5. Of a freight ship: having a small cargo capacity (less than 40,000 DWT); belonging to the handysize class.

Derived terms

• handily
• handiness
• unhandy

Antonyms

• awkward

Translations

References

• handy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• handy in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• handy at OneLook Dictionary Search

Etymology 2

hand +? -y (“diminutive suffix”)

Noun

handy (plural handies)

1. (vulgar, slang) A hand job.

Translations

Etymology 3

Clipping of handgun +? -y (“diminutive suffix”)

Noun

handy (plural handies)

1. (MLE, slang) A handgun.

Translations

Anagrams

• Haydn

Scots

Adjective

handy (comparative handier, superlative handiest)

1. handy
2. dexterous, skilful
3. amenable (of an animal)

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?hændl???/, /?hændl??/
• Hyphenation: hand?ling

Etymology 1

From Middle English handlinge, hondlunge, from Old English handlung (“handling”), equivalent to handle +? -ing. Cognate with Dutch handeling (“trade, operation, action”), German Handlung (“act, action”), Swedish handling (“act, deed, action”).

Noun

handling (countable and uncountable, plural handlings)

1. A touching, controlling, managing, using, take care of, etc., with the hand or hands, or as with the hands.
   • 1864, Oregon. Legislative Assembly. House of Representatives

     […] at San Francisco it is warehoused and reshipped to Liverpool, or other foreign market; and in exchange for this wheat, comes back the merchandise which has to pass through all these shipments, reshipments, warehousings, handlings, &c.

2. (art) The mode of using the pencil or brush; style of touch.

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

3. A criminal offence, the trade in stolen goods.

Derived terms

• double-handling
• request-handling

Related terms

• handling charge
• handling fee

Translations

Etymology 2

From handle.

Verb

handling

1. present participle of handle

Danish

Noun

handling

1. action, act

Declension

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From handle +? -ing

Noun

handling f or m (definite singular handlinga or handlingen, indefinite plural handlinger, definite plural handlingene)

1. an act, deed
2. action
3. the plot or storyline, in a work of fiction
4. shopping; the action of visiting shops

Derived terms

• terrorhandling
• voldshandling

References

• “handling” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From handle +? -ing

Noun

handling f (definite singular handlinga, indefinite plural handlingar, definite plural handlingane)

1. an act, deed
2. action
3. the plot or storyline, in a work of fiction
4. shopping; the action of visiting shops

Derived terms

• terrorhandling
• valdshandling

References

• “handling” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

handla +? -ing

Pronunciation

Noun

handling c

1. an act, a deed
2. an act, a document
3. action
4. the plot or storyline, in a work of fiction
5. shopping; the action of visiting shops

Declension

Derived terms

• terrorhandling