a gift for good luck at the beginning of a new year, new venture, etc
verbWord forms: -sels, -selling, -selledWord forms: US-sels, -seling or -seled(transitive)
2.
to give a handsel to (a person)
3.
to begin (a venture) with ceremony; inaugurate
Word origin
Old English handselen delivery into the hand; related to Old Norse handsal promise sealed with a handshake, Swedish handsöl gratuity; see hand, sell
handsel in American English
(ˈhændsəl; ˈhænsəl)
noun
1.
a present for good luck, as at the new year or on the launching of a new business
2. Rare
a.
a first payment or first installment
b.
the first money taken in by a new business or on any day of business
3.
the first use or specimen of anything, regarded as a token of what is to follow
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈhandseled or ˈhandselled, ˈhandseling or ˈhandselling
4.
to give a handsel to
5.
to begin or launch with ceremony and gifts
6.
to use, do, etc. for the first time
Word origin
ME handsel < OE (rare) handselen, a giving into hand & ON handsal, sealing of a bargain by a handclasp (transl. of L mancipatio: see emancipation), both < hand + IE base of sell
Examples of 'handsel' in a sentence
handsel
That, madam, is what is known at sea as the ``sailors' handsel '.
Fidelis Morgan THE RIVAL QUEENS: A COUNTESS ASHBY DE LA ZOUCHE MYSTERY (2002)