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handsome

 [han-suhm]   Origin

hand·some

   [han-suhm]
adjective, hand·som·er, hand·som·est.
1.
having an attractive, well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength; good-looking: a handsome man; a handsome woman.
2.
having pleasing proportions, relationships, or arrangements, as of shapes, forms, or colors; attractive: a handsome house; a handsome interior.
3.
exhibiting skill, taste, and refinement; well-made: a handsome story; handsome furniture.
4.
considerable, ample, or liberal in amount: a handsome fortune.
5.
gracious; generous; flattering: a handsome compliment; a handsome recommendation.
EXPAND
6.
adroit and appealing; graceful: a handsome speech.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English handsom easy to handle (see hand, -some1); cognate with Dutch handzaam tractable

Related forms
hand·some·ish, adjective
hand·some·ness, noun
su·per·hand·some, adjective

Synonyms
1. See beautiful. 4. large, generous, munificent.

Antonyms
1. ugly. 4, 5. small, miserly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Handsome is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
handsome (ˈhændsəm)
 
—adj
1.  (of a man) good-looking, esp in having regular, pleasing, and well-defined features
2.  (of a woman) fine-looking in a dignified way
3.  well-proportioned, stately, or comely: a handsome room
4.  liberal or ample: a handsome allowance
5.  gracious or generous: a handsome action
6.  (Southwest English) pleasant: handsome weather
 
—n
7.  (Southwest English) a term of endearment for a beloved person, esp in my handsome
 
[C15: handsom easily handled; compare Dutch handzaam; see hand, -some1]
 
'handsomely
 
—adv
 
'handsomeness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

handsome
c.1400, handsom "easy to handle, ready at hand," from hand (n.) + -some. Sense extended to "fair size, considerable" (1577), then "having fine form, good-looking" (1590). Meaning "generous" (in handsome reward, etc.) first recorded 1690.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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