*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of hend

From Middle English henden, from Old English *hendan, ġehendan (“take hold of”), from Proto-Germanic *handijaną (“to grasp; grab by hand”). Cognate with Old Frisian henda (“to take hold of; seize”), Icelandic henda (“to

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To take hold of; to grasp, hold.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English henden, from Old English *hendan, ġehendan (“take hold of”), from Proto-Germanic *handijaną (“to grasp; grab by hand”). Cognate with Old Frisian henda (“to take hold of; seize”), Icelandic henda (“to take hold of by hand; seize; fling”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "henden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English henden"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*hendan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *hendan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*handijaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to grasp; grab by hand"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *handijaną (“to grasp; grab by hand”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ofs",
        "2": "henda",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to take hold of; seize"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Frisian henda (“to take hold of; seize”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "henda",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to take hold of by hand; seize; fling"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic henda (“to take hold of by hand; seize; fling”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "henden",
      "henden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hendan",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/hendan"
    ],
    [
      "ġehendan",
      "gehendan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*handijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/handijaną"
    ],
    [
      "henda",
      "henda#Old_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "henda",
      "henda#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To take hold of; to grasp, hold."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "f9a51f527b5df4fcae0fa5f54fcf277f363a2e24b960fda5fa722a2337f34ad5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "984693e8e1dee81942b5b52865adfa45c249cc7f46d590f63c48c6e77d1d9272",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Pleasant in manner, courteous, gentle, kind.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English hende, from Old English ġehende, from Proto-West Germanic *gahandī.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "hende"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hende"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ġehende"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġehende"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*gahandī"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *gahandī"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hende",
      "hende#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġehende",
      "gehende#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*gahandī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/gahandī"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Pleasant in manner, courteous, gentle, kind."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "poetic"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1027062
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for hend →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aGVuZA