Handlike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the shape or characteristics of a human hand; resembling or suggestive of a hand in form or function; exhibiting features that imitate the appearance or utility of fingers and a palm
2. Resembling a hand in structure or movement; shaped similarly to a hand with finger-like extensions; displaying qualities that allow grasping or manipulation akin to a hand
3. Like a hand in appearance or use; characterized by finger-like parts or a palm-like base; having a configuration that mimics the dexterity or gestures of a hand

Etymology: "Handlike" is a plain compound: the noun "hand" joined to the suffix "-like", which comes from the Old English "-lic", a word meaning "having the form of" or "resembling." Adding "-like" to a noun produces an adjective meaning "shaped like" or "resembling" that thing, so "handlike" describes something that has the form of a hand, such as a claw-like grasping structure or a branching shape with fingers spreading from a central point. The pattern is extremely productive in English. Words such as "childlike," "godlike," and "catlike" all follow the same route, and "handlike" simply applies it to the body part. Because the suffix attaches freely to ordinary nouns, speakers can coin such adjectives on the spot whenever a comparison is needed, which is why "handlike" appears in technical and descriptive writing without any special history of its own.

Synonyms: manual, prehensile, manipulative, dexterous

Antonyms: footlike, clumsy, awkward