Handyworks

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Artistic creations or craft items made by hand
2. Skills or techniques employed in manual tasks or crafts
3. The products resulting from diligent labor involving handiwork and craftsmanship

Etymology: The plural "handyworks" is a form of "handiwork," a compound of "hand" and "work" that came into English from Old English "handgeweorc," meaning work done by the hand. The "handy" in the modern spelling is a later respelling of the same element, not the adjective meaning "convenient." Older English writers often used the singular in a figurative sense, as in the King James Bible's "the firmament sheweth his handywork," where it means something God has made. The plural is the less common form, mainly used when someone refers to several separate products of skilled hands rather than to craftsmanship in general. Its meaning has stayed close to the original idea of a physical product of manual labor.

Synonyms: crafts, handicrafts