handiness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree English handy Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English handiness From handy + -ness.
Meanings
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(uncountable, usually) The quality or state of being handy.
All of She Came Too Late is delightfully well-written: one of the most commendable things about it is Wings' handiness with metaphor — she writes of a character who's "a good co-worker, but with as much sense of humor as a cardboard box." Or, "The night came back to me, like a bolt shooting into a lock."
1988 December 11, Georgia Cotrell, “A Lezbeen Sam Spade”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 22, page 8:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| handinesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
left-handiness · right-handiness
Translations (4)
hu ügyesség (the quality or state of being handy) · ga sástacht (the quality or state of being handy) · de Handlichkeit (the quality or state of being handy) · ro îndemânare (the quality or state of being handy)