handy
Easy to use, useful.
Adjective 4 meanings
Easy to use, useful.
“Some people regard duct tape as a handy fix-all.”
Nearby, within reach.
“You wouldn’t have a screwdriver handy, would you?”
Dexterous, skilful. (of a person)
“She's very handy: she made all her own kitchen cupboards.”
Of a freight ship: having a small cargo capacity (less than 40,000 DWT); belonging to the handysize class.
Noun 2 meanings
The hand.
(mostly used by Germans) Synonym of mobile phone.
Etymology
From Middle English handy, hondi (attested in personal names), alteration of earlier hendi (“handy, skillful”), from Old English *hendiġ (“skillful”) (attested in listhendiġ (“skilled in art”)), from Proto-West Germanic *handīg, *handag, *handug, from Proto-Germanic *handugaz (“handy, skillful, nimble”), from *handuz (“hand”), equivalent to hand + -y.
Similar and opposite words
HANDY at a glance
HANDY has 5 letters and scores 12 points in Scrabble (H 4 + A 1 + N 1 + D 2 + Y 4) and 11 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #7,341 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with handy
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