Handselled

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Presented a small gift as a token of good luck ; began using or selling something for the first time as a lucky start
2. Offered a small lucky gift to mark a new beginning ; opened or first put into use something as an omen of success
3. Gave a token present wishing good fortune ; launched or first employed an item, often to bring it good luck

Etymology: Handsel began as a gift given with the hand. Its Old English form "handselen" and the Old Norse "handsal" both meant something close to "hand-gift," and the word carried into Middle English as "handsell" and "hanselle." Its close relatives survive in Scots "hansel" and Danish "handsel," which shows how widely the custom was shared across the North Sea peoples. The gift was usually a small token, and it marked a new beginning: a present to open a year, a business, or a new possession, in the hope that the start would bring good fortune. Over time the sense widened from the gift itself to the act of starting something for the first time, so that a new object or venture could be "handselled" as an omen of success.

Synonyms: inaugurated, christened