Handshake

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈhæn(d)ˌʃeɪk/

Definitions

1. A formal greeting gesture where two people grasp each other's right hands and move them up and down briefly
2. A reciprocal motion where two individuals clasp hands and shake them as a sign of greeting or agreement
3. A friendly interaction where two people briefly clasp and move their hands up and down to express greeting or agreement

Etymology: "Handshake" is about as transparent as compounds get: it joins "hand" and "shake," two Old English words that have kept their basic senses for over a thousand years. "Hand" descends from Proto-Germanic "handuz," and "shake" from Old English "sċacan," which meant to move something rapidly back and forth or up and down. Put together, the compound describes exactly what the gesture does. The more interesting story is the gesture itself, which predates the word by a long way. Shaking hands was originally a way of showing that neither party was concealing a weapon, since a clasp required both hands to be occupied and visible. The up-and-down motion came later, as a more vigorous and emphatic form of that same clasp. The compound's first appearance in English is later than the custom it names, so the word followed the practice rather than inventing it.

Synonyms: grip, shake, clasp