- handselen
- f (-ne/-na) a making over, delivery, transfer of a thing to another; one of the modes of acquiring possession by the Roman civil law; hence, also, for purchase [mancipatio]
Old to modern English dictionary. 2013.
handselen
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handsel — /han seuhl/, n., v., handseled, handseling or (esp. Brit.) handselled, handselling. n. 1. a gift or token for good luck or as an expression of good wishes, as at the beginning of the new year or when entering upon a new situation or enterprise. 2 … Universalium
hansel — [ hans(ə)l] (also handsel) archaic or US noun a gift given at the beginning of the year or the start of an enterprise, supposedly to bring good luck. verb (hansels, hanselling, hanselled; US hansels, hanseling, hanseled) giv … English new terms dictionary
handsel — hand•sel [[t]ˈhæn səl[/t]] n. v. seled, sel•ing (esp. brit.) selled, sel•ling. 1) a gift or token for good luck, as at the new year or when entering upon a new enterprise 2) the initial experience of anything; foretaste 3) a first installment of… … From formal English to slang
handsel — /ˈhænsəl/ (say hansuhl) noun 1. a gift or token for good luck or as an expression of good wishes, as at the beginning of the new year, or at entering upon a new state, situation, or enterprise. 2. a first instalment of payment. 3. the first use… …
handsel — [hand′səl, han′səl] n. [ME handsel < OE (rare) handselen, a giving into hand & ON handsal, sealing of a bargain by a handclasp (transl. of L mancipatio: see EMANCIPATION), both < hand + IE base of SELL] 1. a present for good luck, as at the … English World dictionary
handsel — n. & v. (also hansel) n. 1 a gift at the beginning of the new year, or on coming into new circumstances. 2 = EARNEST(2) 1. 3 a foretaste. v.tr. (handselled, handselling; US handseled, handseling) 1 give a handsel to. 2 inaugurate. 3 be the first… … Useful english dictionary
hand|sel — «HAN suhl», noun, verb, seled, sel|ing or (especially British), selled, sel|ling. –n. 1. a) a gift made as a token of good wishes at New Year s or to one entering something new such as a job or house. b) Obsolete. a gift or present given on any… … Useful english dictionary
