Past tense of handle; to have managed, dealt with, or controlled something. To have touched or held something with the hands.
From Old English 'handlian' meaning to touch or feel with the hands, derived from 'hand.' The meaning expanded from physical manipulation to abstract management and control by the 14th century.
The phrase 'handle with care' appears on fragile packages worldwide, but interestingly, psychological research shows that items marked this way are often treated more roughly due to a phenomenon called 'reactance' - people resist being told what to do.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.