- Handle
- Handle Han"dle (h[a^]n"d'l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Handled}
(-d'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. {Handling} (-dl[i^]ng).] [OE.
handlen, AS. handlian; akin to D. handelen to trade, G.
handeln. See {Hand}.]
1. To touch; to feel with the hand; to use or hold with the
hand.
[1913 Webster]
Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh. --Luke xxiv. 39. [1913 Webster]
About his altar, handling holy things. --Milton. [1913 Webster]
2. To manage in using, as a spade or a musket; to wield; often, to manage skillfully. [1913 Webster]
That fellow handles his bow like a crowkeeper. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
3. To accustom to the hand; to work upon, or take care of, with the hands. [1913 Webster]
The hardness of the winters forces the breeders to house and handle their colts six months every year. --Sir W. Temple. [1913 Webster]
4. To receive and transfer; to have pass through one's hands; hence, to buy and sell; as, a merchant handles a variety of goods, or a large stock. [1913 Webster]
5. To deal with; to make a business of. [1913 Webster]
They that handle the law knew me not. --Jer. ii. 8. [1913 Webster]
6. To treat; to use, well or ill. [1913 Webster]
How wert thou handled being prisoner? --Shak. [1913 Webster]
7. To manage; to control; to practice skill upon. [1913 Webster]
You shall see how I will handle her. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
8. To use or manage in writing or speaking; to treat, as a theme, an argument, or an objection. [1913 Webster]
We will handle what persons are apt to envy others. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]
{To handle without gloves}. See under {Glove}. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
