hand down

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hand down

verb hands down · handing down · handed down

To transmit in succession, as from father to son, or from predecessor to successor. Fables are handed down from age to age.
To deliver (the decision of a court, etc.) The jury handed down a verdict of guilty.
To forward to the proper officer (the decision of a higher court). The Clerk of the Court of Appeals handed down its decision.
idiomatic To donate (as second hand.) When my older brother grows out of his clothes, he hands them down to me.

Translations

Every language

verb transmit in succession

Français	transmettre
Deutsch	überliefern
Italiano	tramandare
Русский	передава́ть peredavátʹ, переда́ть peredátʹ

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MLA

"hand down." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hand%20down. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

hand down. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hand%20down

Chicago

"hand down." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hand%20down.

BibTeX

@misc{hand_down_2026,
  title = {hand down},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hand%20down},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}