Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To seize; lay hold on; grasp.
  • At hand; near at hand; near; nigh; convenient: in this sense generally in the predicate, and equivalent to the adverb. See hend, adverb
  • Handy; dexterous; clever; accomplished.
  • Civil; courteous; polite; gracious; kind; gentle; noble; excellent; good: much used in Middle English poetry as a general expression of praise.
  • Good; excellent: used of things.
  • noun A gentle, noble, excellent person.
  • At hand; near at hand. See hend, adjective
  • Civilly; courteously; kindly; honorably.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb obsolete To take hold of; to grasp, hold.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Possibly shortened from Old English ġehendan ("take hold of").

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Examples

  • From this implied Latin verb root *hend-, we are certainly free to muse light-heartedly on how we can obtain *handus 'grasper' from it, and very curiously, noting on how it rhymes with the attested Latin word for 'hand', manus.

    Searching for an etymology for Germanic *handuz 'hand' 2009

  • From this implied Latin verb root *hend-, we are certainly free to muse light-heartedly on how we can obtain *handus 'grasper' from it, and very curiously, noting on how it rhymes with the attested Latin word for 'hand', manus.

    Archive 2009-10-01 2009

  • If one decides that it was borrowed, there's no more obvious and more direct source than Latin pre-hend- I can think of currently, yet as we all agree, it has it's share of problems.

    Searching for an etymology for Germanic *handuz 'hand' 2009

  • But do thou, O my son, don the cap and hend the rod in hand and enter the place where thy wife and children are.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • Allah hath appointed the end of my life for thy hand to hend, and it is His will that slain I be and King Karazdan be healed of his malady.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • Ai neber taught hit wood hend lik tis, awlwaes tink yud git hit bai a truk

    Wife Burd - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2008

  • ‘This is the hend, is it,’ said Miss Squeers, tossing her head, and looking contemptuously at the floor, ‘of my taking notice of that rubbishing creature, and demeaning myself to patronise her?’

    Nicholas Nickleby 2007

  • I threw such an igspresshn of unuttrable tenderniss into the shake at the hend, that Hangelina could bare it no more.

    Burlesques 2006

  • I threw such an igspresshn of unuttrable tenderniss into the shake at the hend, that Hangelina could bare it no more.

    The diary of C. Jeames De La Pluche, Esq., with his letters 2006

  • For it was then a pretty thing happened of pure diversion mayhap, when his flattering hend, at the justright moment, like perchance some cook of corage might clip the lad on a poot of porage handshut his duckhouse, the vivid girl, deaf with love,

    Finnegans Wake 2006

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