attractive in appearance; generous in amount
from Middle English handsom meaning easy to handle, from hand plus -some
Originally meaning 'easy to handle,' handsome evolved to describe people who are easy on the eyes - language has a way of making beautiful connections!
Handsome applies to men; women receive 'pretty,' 'beautiful,' or 'lovely' — adjectives emphasizing appearance over authority. This language split encodes masculine prestige and feminine decoration.
Use 'handsome' for any gender when describing proportionate, strong-featured appearance. Recognize it historically denoted masculine authority.
["striking","well-proportioned","commanding presence"]
Women's authority has been erased by restriction to beauty language; apply prestige descriptors across genders.
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