hand-holdingn.
/ˈhandˌhəʊldɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈhæn(d)ˌ(h)oʊldɪŋ/ rare before late 19th cent.
1. The action or an act of holding hands with another person.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > posture > position of specific body parts > [noun] > arm or hand > specific hands
yepsenc1325
hand-holding1651
clasp1832
butcher's grip1882
steeple1940
1651 in J. Stuart Extracts Presbytery Bk. Strathbogie (1843) 202 The elders remoued, were approven in their fidelitie and handholding to discipline be the minister.
1876 Boston Daily Globe 4 Aug. 4/3 Darkened rooms, sealed cabinets, hand-holding, and sound-drowning music.
1908 Daily Chron. 13 Mar. 4/6 Hand-holding ensures a rapid means of communication between the hand and the heart or brain.
1960 C. Day Lewis Buried Day v. 94 Hand-holdings and childish kisses.
2011 M. Boleyn-Fitzgerald Pictures of Mind ii. 33 In the face of a perceived threat, hand-holding alleviated the women's anticipatory stress.
2. figurative. The provision of close support, reassurance, or guidance, esp. through a learning process or period of change.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > support or encouragement > [noun] > supporting or encouraging
comfortingc1320
couraging?1542
encouraging1578
patronaging1597
upbolstering1610
countenancing1628
rooting1888
hand-holding1967
1967 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Telegram 17 Jan. 17/7 (advt.) Hand-holding for investors! A Merrill Lynch Account Executive is trained to provide it—in just the right amount.
1987 R. Shilts And Band played On Acknowl. p. xi Without the constant encouragement, hand-holding, and insightful editing of Doris Ober, I could never have made it to the end.
1993 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 8 Mar. 41 One way is to buy your computer from Dick Smith's where you will be given a three-hour introductory course and a lot of handholding afterwards.
2011 Private Eye 27 May 31/3 Staff union reps at the college said it was ‘inconceivable’ that he needed more than £22,000 worth of hand-holding in his new job.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
hand-holdingadj.
/ˈhandˌhəʊldɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈhæn(d)ˌ(h)oʊldɪŋ/ 1. That holds someone's hand or (of two or more people) that are holding hands, esp. as a sign of affection.
ΚΠ
1872 ‘E. Perkins’ Saratoga in 1901 78 [They] spend their time watching hand-holding beaux, or susceptible bachelors, always on the point of proposing.
1924 Amer. Mercury Dec. 443/1 Hand-holding bridal couples from rural North Carolina and West Virginia.
2000 F. Bleasdale Rubber Gloves or Jimmy Choos viii. 159 Before Ben, I had had a few boyfriends, but only the hand-holding, snogging kind.
2. That provides close support or guidance, esp. through a learning process or period of change.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > [adjective]
sustaining?c1425
affirmative?1504
supportable1531
upholding1553
supportive1593
supportful1610
underpropping1614
subjunctive1656
buttressing1672
supportative1803
upholdatory1829
sustenant1874
hand-holding1920
1920 S. Lewis Main St. xxxi. 371 She's an old cat, like her pussyfooting, hand-holding husband.
1988 J. Ellroy Big Nowhere xxxviii. 360 Buzz had tailed her from her sorority house to a hand-holding kaffeeklatch at the UCLA Student Union.
2008 PC World Sept. 95 Unlike the hand-holding interface of BeInSync, the Mesh Web site starts you off with a screen showing existing devices.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1651
adj.1872