handy

hand·y

adjective

The definition of handy is a useful or readily available person or thing, or a person who is skilled with using their hands.

An example of handy is standing on a chair to reach something high up, because it's close by; a handy chair.
An example of handy is a person who's able to fix anything; a handy man.

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"handy." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Handy>.

APA Style

handy. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Handy

handy

adjective

hand′i·er, hand′i·est

close at hand; easily reached; conveniently located; accessible
easily used; saving time or work; convenient: a handy device
easily managed or handled: said of a ship, etc.
clever with the hands; deft; adroit
capable of making simple repairs to a house, an automobile, electrical appliances, etc.

Origin of handy

hand + -y

Handy

1873-1958; U.S. composer of popular songs

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MLA Style

"handy." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Handy>.

APA Style

handy. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Handy

handy

adjective

hand·i·er, hand·i·est

Easily or effectively used; convenient or useful: a handy tool; a handy reference book.
Easy to manage or handle. Used of a ship.
Readily accessible or convenient in location: kept his cell phone handy; found a handy spot for the hammer.
Skillful in using one's hands; manually adroit. See Synonyms at dexterous.

Related Forms:

hand′i·ness
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"handy." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 11 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Handy>.

APA Style

handy. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Handy

Adjective

(comparative handier, superlative handiest)

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?
(dialect) dexterous, skilful
She's very handy - she made all her own kitchen cupboards.

Origin

From Middle English, alteration of earlier hendi (“handy, skillful”), from Old English hendiġ (“skillful”) (as in listhendiġ (“skilled in art”)), from Proto-Germanic *handugaz (“handy, skillful, nimble”), from *handuz (“hand”), equivalent to hand +‎ -y. Cognate with Middle Low German handich (“skillful, apt”), Middle High German handec, hendec (“manual, hand-held”), Old Norse hǫndugr (“efficient”), Gothic (handugs, “wise, clever”).