handle

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it
  2. verb be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
  3. verb interact in a certain way

Etymology

From Middle English handel, handle, from Old English handle (“handle”), from Proto-West Germanic *handulā (“handle”). See verb below. Cognate with German Hantel (“dumbbell, barbell”), Danish handel (“handle”). Related to hand.

In classic literature

Synonyms

grip, handgrip, hold

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