Handy
/ˈhæn.di/noun
Convenient, useful, or skillful with the hands.
Did you know?Handy comes from Old English hand and the suffix -y, and its modern sense of “convenient” grew from the older idea of something being “at hand,” meaning immediately available.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰes-
“to grasp, seize, or take in the hand”
Old English
OE
hand
“the hand; also used in phrases meaning near or available”
Middle English
ME
handi
“skillful with the hands; convenient or near at hand”
16th Century
English
handy
“skillful, dexterous, or readily available”
Modern English
English
handy
“convenient, useful, or adept with the hands”