Handfull

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A quantity that can be held in one hand; a small number or amount; a person or thing that is difficult to manage
2. The amount graspable with a single hand; a limited count or measure; an individual or item requiring considerable control or patience
3. An amount contained within the grasp of one hand; a few units or a minor portion; someone or something challenging to handle or control

Etymology: "Handfull" is a misspelling of "handful," the standard form today, which has one l. Older English writers often wrote the word with two, and the single-l spelling is what dictionaries now record. The word is a compound of "hand" and "full," and it originally measured quantity. It meant as much as a hand could hold, and the sense of "a small amount" grew naturally from that physical measure. The figurative sense, a person or thing that is hard to manage, comes from the same image: a child or animal with more energy than one hand can restrain. The word's origins are plain, but the link between a fistful of grain and an unruly toddler shows how a concrete measure can turn into a description of difficulty.