handful

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A small number of people or things.

   Only a handful of people came to the meeting.

2. 2
   noun

   The amount that you can hold in one hand.

   She threw a handful of seeds onto the soil.

3. 3
   noun

   A person or thing that is difficult to control or manage.

   Those twins are a real handful to look after.

From Middle English handful, hondful, from Old English handfull (“handful”), from Proto-Germanic *handufullō, *handufulliz (“handful”), from Proto-Germanic *handuz (“hand”) + *fullaz (“full”); equivalent to hand + full (“fullness, plenty”) or hand + -ful. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Hondful (“handful”), West Frisian hânfol (“handful”), Dutch handvol (“handful”), German Handvoll (“handful”), Danish håndfuld (“handful”), Swedish handfull (“handful”), Icelandic handfylli (“handful”).

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