Hantle

/ˈhæn.təl/ noun

Definition

A Scottish and Northern English word for a small amount or handful of something.

Etymology

From Middle English 'hantell' or 'handtel,' related to 'hand' and meaning literally 'what can be held in the hand.' The word was common in Middle English before becoming regionalized to Scotland.

Kelly Says

This word shows how 'hand' words scattered across English—'handsomely,' 'handout,' 'handful'—all started from the same root, but 'hantle' preserves a particularly old form of this relationship.

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