handy
English · Español · Deutsch · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
handy¹
- /ˈhæn.di/
Rhymes with -ændi
Where it comes from
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. Cognate with Saterland Frisian jäntich (“handy”), Middle Low German handich (“skillful, apt”), Middle High German handec, hendec (“manual, hand-held”), Old Norse hǫndugr (“efficient”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌿𐌲𐍃 (handugs, “wise, clever”). Akin to Dutch handig (“handy”), Norwegian hendig (“handy”), Swedish händig (“handy”).
adjective handier · handiest · hendy
- 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.
Similar: crafty
- Physically violent; tending to use one's fists. We had a sergeant who was a bit handy with the rougher elements. He dealt with them a little bit differently to what I do.
- Of a freight ship: having a small cargo capacity (less than 40,000 DWT); belonging to the handysize class.
Opposite: awkward
handy²
noun handies
- The hand. Clap, clap handies Mammie's wee, wee ain.
handy³
Where it comes from
Clipping of handgun and hand job followed by -y (diminutive suffix).
noun handies
- A handgun. Look left and right, when I cross these roads, I don’t wanna get fright We got handies and shotties, which one should you decide?
-
A hand job.
Similar: wristy
handy⁴
Where it comes from
Disputed; see German Handy: according to some commentators, this meaning is originally from German (a condensed form of Handfunktelefon), whereas others claim there was an early, but now neglected, antetype of it in English (from etymology 1).
noun handies
- (mostly used by Germans) Synonym of mobile phone. An important field of application for small rechargeable lithium ion batteries is that of the fast growing market of cellular phones or ‘handies’. 277,000,000 handies were sold worldwide in 1999.
Handy⁵
Where it comes from
Originating as a nickname for a handy person.
proper noun
- A surname transferred from the nickname.
- A male given name from English.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: accessible, convenient, adroit, serviceable, useful, suitable, appropriate, proper, worthwhile, actionable, usable, adequate, helpful, practise, practice, beneficial
adjective
Opposite: awkward
Translations
Every language
adj easy to use
| Español | práctico, hábil |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 手軽な tegaru na, 便利な benri na |
| 中文 | 方便 fāngbiàn, 有用 yǒuyòng |
| Português | útil, prático |
| Français | pratique, commode |
| Deutsch | anstellig, handlich, praktisch |
| Italiano | utile, pratico |
| Română | îndemânatic |
| Русский | удо́бный udóbnyj, поле́зный poléznyj, практи́чный praktíčnyj, портати́вный portatívnyj, кста́ти kstáti |
adj within reach
| Español | a mano, cerca |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 手近な tedika na |
| 中文 | 手頭 /手头 shǒutóu, 近便 jìnbiàn, 手邊 /手边 shǒubiān |
| Português | à mão, fácil |
| Français | à portée de main |
| Deutsch | in Reichweite, griffbereit, zur Hand |
| Italiano | comodo |
| Ελληνικά | εύκαιρος éfkairos, πρόχειρος prócheiros |
| Română | la îndemână |
| עברית | זמין zamín |
Talk about this word "handy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/handy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. handy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/handy "handy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/handy.Cite this
@misc{handy_2026,
title = {handy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/handy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
